Beneath the Surface
by Elillierose
Summary: After days upon days of hunts and tiring labor, Noctis decided the four of them deserve a bit of down time. So, why not the beach while they're close by. And, what was supposed to drain the tension from them, ends in nothing but despair and dark times ahead when Prompto sustains a near life threatening injury. Cover by: Bagpipes5k2
1. Something's Out There

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting** **and istoleyourcheesecake**

 **Day two for FFXVWeek**

 **Prompt: A Day at the Beach**

 **Like all the other stories I'm doing, this one has been twisted to match my style~ And, unlike the first one, this one will definitely need to have more chapters, since both betas have already told me that I have no choice. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. :D**

 **And I want to say it here will quick, but you have no idea how many hours of research and reading I've done for this, not for this first chapter, but for things later on. Like, pages upon pages of searching and articles, so if I get things a little wrong or inaccurate, then please be civil about it, because I honest to God tried my best with the research on this, more than any other story. And, I have had no training in the medical field and have not taken a single class retaining to such things, so of course my knowledge is limited; everything I know on this stuff, came from me looking things up and searching subject after subject.**

 **I did have help with late chapters in terms of information on this sort of stuff, so when I get the those parts, those people will be credited.**

* * *

Noctis leaned against his door, eyes staring out vacantly and disinterestedly as he sighed deeply and exaggeratedly. He glanced in the adviser's direction to see if that caught his undivided attention, and of course not. So, he tried again, this time letting out a frustrated groan along with it. And, this time he got a frustrated exhale in return, followed by an annoyed, "What is it, Your Highness?" Ignis gazed at the prince through the rearview mirror.

"Nothin'" he shrugged, leaning back in his seat, "Just thinking, ya know, hasn't it been a while since we had a bit of downtime? We've been going non-stop." He closed his eyes and let the wind ruffle his hair.

The brunet flicked his eyes back to the road, "That's because we have important matters to attend to, and you know that. Surely you don't need to be reminded."

"Yeah, yeah, save your breath," Noctis waved a bored hand. "Though, still doubt one day would hurt much." He placed his hands behind his head and gazed up towards the sky. "And it issss a nice day, sunny, not too hot, just the right amount of breeze," he tried to sound casual, but the hints were coming out pretty strong.

He heard the blond sigh now as well from the front seat, "He does have a point, Iggy." He turned his head to gaze longingly at the strategist, "It really probably wouldn't be a bad idea to relax once in a while, would it?"

Gladio chose to join in now, honestly just sick of being in the car for hours on end if anything, "You of all people could probably benefit from it; I'm surprised you haven't suffered an aneurysm yet. Come on, you of all people should understand the importance of a day off." He reached over the seat to jab a finger against the other's cheek, which was swiftly swatted away in irritation.

"If it means I get to be spared of your childish behavior, then so be it." Though, they could see right through his 'reason' for agreeing. "But, only for today, seeing as it is a rather slow day," he muttered, looking to the time, which continued to creep along; it was barely noon as it were. "But, don't expect anymore 'breaks' until after we get some of these hunts taken care of. We're low on funds, and we can't afford to do this often."

"We get it," Prompto replied, effectively cutting off the man's ramblings, "Let's just get going already, my legs are getting stiff in here."

"We are near a beach," Noctis hinted less than subtly. "And I do hear it's the perfect time of year for fishing, and you know, I've never had the chance to give it a try." He averted his eyes to look back at Ignis', just waiting for him to agree to it.

For a split second, he met those twilight eyes and quickly looked away. "Very well," he finally complied to the raven's wants, "If that's what you wish, then we'll go." Glancing to the others, he saw the same relief on their faces, so, it would have been three against one if he hadn't given in, it seems. Smiling slightly to himself, he easily turned down a side road, taking the little detour necessary to reach their new destination.

It hadn't been even five minutes before they could make out the shimmering of the water's surface, the shine glaring invitingly in their eyes. The blond was practically sitting on the edge of his seat, and to Ignis, it looked as though the kid had never seen the ocean before by the excitement in his expression. There was a barely detectable bounce that slowly worked its way into his form. Noctis couldn't stifle the small grin that slipped onto his face at the sight, his hands itching to cast that line for the first time in weeks.

"Finally, going to get to work on my tan," Prompto leaned back as they drew closer, his eyes closed as he relished in his momentary daydream.

"Five minutes, and I bet you'll be a blistered mess," Gladio commented, ruining his hope with that single sentence.

The blond opened his mouth to respond, and raised a finger, but nothing came out as he thought about it. "You know what... yeah, you're actually probably right," he breathed out forlornly and sank back into his seat as he proceeded to gaze out over the approaching waters. "A guy can dream though, can't he?"

"Dream all ya like," the shield shrugged. "Not gonna change a thing," he teased, chuckling softly at the slight jolt he caught out of the corner of his eye. "Well, if you weren't so pasty as it were, that wouldn't be a problem."

"Not my fault I have fair complexion," Prompto mumbled, scanning up and down his left arm. He swiped a hand over it as if that would magically change the brightness of it, "Well, at least I normally tan a little after a burn, so there's that at least."

Ignis rolled his eyes at the minor bickering as he finally pulled over to a stop and turned the key, "Alright, here we are." He looked to each of them and instructed, as if speaking to a group of children, "Do try not to wander off too far, as I don't plan on us spending the night here." His gaze settled on the blond for a few seconds more than the others, something that the younger easily picked up on.

"What're you looking at me for?" he asked, a tad offended, "Noctis is the one that warps around everywhere." Prompto glanced back just as the prince was working his way out the door, his fishing pole already flashing in his grip in a light flash of light. "See what I mean, he's not even listening anymore." He waved a dismissive hand in his direction and opened his own door. "Hey Noct!" he called when the raven was nearly five yards away.

"Hmm?" he glanced over his shoulder, but didn't bother to slow down, forcing the other to jog to catch up.

"Mind if I join ya? Maybe get a few shots here and there," he waved his camera next to his face, drawing in his attention immediately with the unexpected showing of it.

Noctis flicked his attention from the device to his friend's face, "Sure, I guess. Do whatever ya want. As long as you don't get causing trouble, then I really don't care."

"You know me, I wouldn't dare," he placed his hands on his hips as he fell into a mirrored pace that matched the prince's. "And who knows, maybe we can even see some 'exotic' sights, if ya catch my drift," he winked and nudged with his elbow. "Eh?" he nudged again, trying to get a response out of him.

"Prompto," he stopped to turn and face him as he placed a hand on his left shoulder, "Keep dreaming." And with that, he was headed back towards the docks, whistling quietly to himself. The blond stared at his back for a suspended moment of offense, blinking a few times until he processed what was said as he swiftly ran back up; he almost lost his balance when the ground beneath him abruptly switched from sand to wood.

Noctis took a deep breath when he reached the end of the pier, honestly thriving in the salty scent of it as he gave his rod a few test swings. The 'clicks' he heard going on behind him only distracted him for a mere fraction while he hooked on his bait and made sure it was on securely. "At least try to get my good side," he mumbled, finally casting his line.

"Easier said than done," he took a couple more quick shots and took a look at them to see how they turned out. Satisfied with the results, he snapped a couple more, and eventually worked his way around. Taking pictures of the horizon, then slowly panned his focus over until he caught sight of the others through the lens. He clicked a couple times with Gladio, sitting on a towel with his book, completely engrossed in its pages. Drifting a few more inches to the left, there was Ignis, and with a bit more zoom, he saw his finger lightly tracing over what looked to be a map. "Hmm, boring," he decided and switched back to Noctis. He was a bit more interesting at the moment to say the least, not that that was saying much.

"Catch anything yet?" he asked, practically pouncing next to the prince, his face just a couple inches away.

Noctis jumped a small amount and snapped his head to face him, "Really? No, we just got here, it takes patience." He slowly turned back, but kept his eyes on the other for a few second more out of the corner of his vision, "Just, try not to scare anything away." Brushing a few strands of hair out of his face, he carefully lowered himself to sit on the edge, knowing he'd be there for a while before anything would show.

Surprisingly, Prompto actually sat next to him, and for once in his life, didn't make a sound. If he weren't literally next to him, the raven probably would have been concerned about his unnatural silence. But, he could feel his boring gaze upon him, and as much as he cared for the blond, it was a bit unnerving, "Are you sure you want to sit here and watch, it must be rather boring."

"Nah, this is actually pretty peaceful," he leaned forward to lean his elbows on his knees and placed his head in his hands, "A pretty nice change of pace if I'm being honest." He then changed positions and leaned back on his hands to gaze out over the ocean, intently watching the waves as they came in and out of existence. "Not to mention how gorgeous it is out there."

Noctis slowly nodded along, "Yeah, it really is, and I'm sure the fish are better out there as well." He glanced around, "And with as many people as there are out here, I doubt I'll be catching most of anything this close to shore." He looked around a bit more until he saw what he was hoping to find, "Hmm, what would you say about going out there, farther out I mean. They do have boats for rent here if you're interested."

His eyes widened with the idea of it, "Do you even need to ask? Can you imagine the photos I could get out there? Of course I do." He was already on his feet and marching down the length of the dock. "Well, what're you waiting for, let's get moving," he waved a hand, gesturing for the other to hurry up.

"Hold your horses and give me a moment to get up, geez," he brushed himself off as he pushed himself up with a small groan and twisted from side to side, the action rewarding him with a few marvelous pops. "Ok, I think I'm good to go now."

"Sweet," Prompto spun on the ball of his foot with a quick jab at the air, then suddenly stopped mid stride, "Uh, think Ignis will be alright with this? I mean, it does cost money after all, and I'm not too sure he'd be so willing to spend it on things like boats." He stole a few quick glances in said man's direction.

Noctis simply shrugged, "It's just a rent, not like we're spending a fortune, besides, we have a few hunts tomorrow, so we'll easily make that money back, no problem." He offered a reassuring smile and clapped the blond on the back in passing, "It's fine, alright? Don't worry about Specs so much, either way, he'll get over it."

"If you say so," Prompto raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, but followed nonetheless. His curiosity of being out there in the open heavily outweighed his worry of being scolded at the moment. They went up to the rental area, the gunner standing back and keeping to himself while Noctis did all the talking, it was better that way, they both decided. As he waited, he kept staring out into the water, watching the small ripples that formed so far away, they seemed almost captivating in a way.

"Prompto." He jumped at his name, almost forgetting what they were doing. "Come on, we only have a couple hours before we have to get back," he cocked his head in the direction of a boat being prepared for them, and to his relief, he saw the motor on the back, meaning at least there wouldn't have to be much effort into getting out there.

"S-sorry, got a bit distracted there," he chuckled nonchalantly, glancing back out there to see the water as smooth as ever. "But, I'm just as ready as ever." And just like that, he was back to his perky and excitable self. Soon, they were both situated and listening intently to the man's instructions of how to control this thing. Well, Noctis was listening, Prompto was too busy admiring the vehicle with sparkles in his eyes. "This thing is freaking amazing," he near worshiped, his hand running over the edge of it, gliding over its surface easily.

"You understand all that?" he asked, a hand scratching at his graying beard, "Or do you need me to go over that again for ya?"

Noctis waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I think I got it," he gave a nod of thanks before he turned to head back to his stand, and it was quite obvious he didn't quite trust the care of one of his boats to these two that were less than half his age. "Ready to go, Prom?" he asked, not waiting for a reply before starting it up.

"Guess I don't have a cho-oice!" the blond exclaimed, grabbing on to the sides for dear life as it jolted forward and soon evened out as the prince quickly got a hold of it. "Are you trying to give me whiplash?!" His eyes were still enlarged from the shock of it. He slowly relaxed seeing as there were no signs of getting jerked around again.

They didn't go too far until they ceased their travels, Noctis not waiting any time to retrieve his fishing rod and casting it once again. "Hopefully, I'll actually get something to bite this time," he muttered when the splash from his lure reached his ears. And, for a while, the only sounds he heard was the light breeze teasing his hair and the occasional snap from the blond's camera.

* * *

After some time, Prompto had fallen into a trance of sorts, leaning over the side of the boat, staring down into its depths as his finger traced circles along its top. He'd been doing this for at least ten minutes now, the first hour already gone without much going on. Noctis had managed to catch one thing, but it wasn't anything worth keeping, so it had been sparingly tossed back in. He let out an exaggerated and drawn out groan, dropping his head to rest against the now heated side. "I thought you actually knew what you were doing," he prodded with a sideways glance.

"And, I thought you wanted to be out here?" he shot back, reeling in to replace the bait, hoping that using a fresh piece would help his chances.

"That was before I knew how dull it was going to be; I think it looks better from a distance," he decided, removing his vest.

Hearing the shuffle, the other looked back just in time to see the gunner removing his pants as well, "What... are you doing?" he narrowed his eyes, when his clothing, aside from his tank top and boxers were tossed to the side.

"What's it look like, it's boring up here, so I'm getting in," he spoke as if it were the most normal thing. "Gonna swim around for a bit until it's time to go back," with a shrug, he faced the water, and before the other could reply, he dove in, a few splashes making it back into the boat. Noctis huffed as a bit of it struck his face. It took a few seconds, but soon his head broke back through and he took a couple deep breaths of air, "Hoooly, it's cold," he said once he had enough oxygen.

"Welp, probably won't catch anything now," Noctis pursed his lips slightly as a few ripples disturbed the water on his side.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that," Prompto quickly apologized, swiftly paddling a few feet away, "I'll just uh, do my thing over here," he whispered, continuing on until he was a good few yards away and deemed that far enough. "Is this good enough?" he questioned, flipping over to his back to float effortlessly.

The other didn't bother looking over, "Do you know how tempting it is to just ride back and leave you out here?"

"You wouldn't!" he panicked slightly at the prospect of that and flipped back to treading and keep a watchful gaze on him. "You couldn't leave me out here, you love me too much," he cooed, turning to his side to slowly work his way around so he could see Noctis' face.

"You wanna bet?" he reeled his line back in to dismiss it and teasingly hovered his hand near the motor. "All it takes is a simple pull and a few switches, and then it's 'bye'," he leaned back comfortably, watching his expression in amusement.

Prompto bit his lip as he waged his options of a good response to that, and he opened his mouth ready for the perfect reply, but a tickling sensation brushed by his leg, so all that came out was a startled gasp. "Wh-what the hell was that?" his voice raised a couple pitches as his body twisted to the side where he assumed whatever it was to be.

"Was it your dignity?" Noctis mocked his startled cry, his face quickly faltering at the darkened patch he saw drift by. "Prom..." he uttered, about to give his warning, but the other was swiftly alerted to the danger as a pained yelp escaped his lips.

One second, everything seemed deathly and eerily still and silent, and the next there was nothing but searing pain, shooting straight up his leg. He only had time to let out a panicked and agonized yell before he was caught off guard and yanked downward. Most of what happened after that was a haze; there was the pain and a flash of blue, but other than that the only other thing he could make out was the spreading red that trailed out in front of him.

There was something wrapped around his waist, and his confused and fear-driven mind couldn't discern what it was, so instincts took over and he tried his best to fight against it, to get away from whatever had him in its grasp. All he knew was, he couldn't breath and something was very wrong. He was barely aware when they broke through the surface, his body instinctively gulped in a few greedy breaths as he felt himself less than gently being dropped onto a hard surface.

"-ompto!" he shot his eyes in the direction of his dismembered name, the blurred features of the prince hovering over him. "Prom!" he tried again, patting the side of his face, his expression screaming hysteria.

"N-ct," he tried to move, the action sending a new wave of scorching torture through his left calf, his hand instantly reached down to grip, but his wrists were swiftly clutched and forced away from it.

"Don't," the prince almost pleaded. "Don't touch it." He ripped his own jacket off to hastily bind around the appendage, and Prompto could hear a couple gags come from him as he did so, which really did not sit well with him at all.

"Wha- Noct, what's..." he swallowed thickly against the rising bile, both from pain and fear. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything, but instead rushed to start the boat up, and not long after that, the blond felt them moving, which did nothing but cause more panic deep down. Cutting his eyes over, he found Noctis dialing hastily on his phone, visibly getting frustrated as he waited for an answer. "Ignis," he blurted the moment someone picked up. "Ignis, I need you to call an ambulance." Prompto's heart thrummed with those words. "I-I don't know, something... something bit him, and it's-," he flicked his eyes towards the blond, taken aback at seeing his own wild eyes staring back, "It's not good," he chose those words instead.

The blond took a few deep breaths, which quickly began to shorten and grow faster as his adrenaline began to wear off and he could feel the burning throbs in his leg. Against Noctis' warnings, he reached down and placed a now shaking hand over the fabric covering his lower half; and, holding his breath, he lifted the jacket off to peer underneath. To say he felt sick was an understatement. There was so much blood; he could hardly make anything out from the amount of it, but he could still see the way a decent sized chunk wasn't attached in the manner it should have been.

His breath came out tight and shuddering, and he couldn't quite will himself to look away. "Noct," he choked out, vision wavering, it felt as though he couldn't get enough oxygen and things were beginning to feel almost like a dream, a very painful dream. "Noct!" He called louder, his heart battering against his ribs as a shudder racked his body.

He glanced back at his name, phone still in hand, "Hang on, Prom," he blurted out, his own pulse quickening at the pale hue of his face. "Not long and... and everything will be fine." He kept a watchful eye on the blond, but he didn't respond, only leaned his head back down and stared up, his chest heaving far too fast for comfort. "Prompto? You with me?" Still no reply. "Ignis? S-something's really... wrong," he whispered, unwittingly speeding up, despite the fact that they were merely a few seconds away now.

The first time he glanced away from the other, he found the other two waiting for him on the pier, and as soon as he was close enough, they didn't spare a second before hopping on; the adviser was already looking him over. "The ambulance should arrive in a few minutes, what the hell happened?" he questioned, none too kindly. He began removing the gunner's shirt as he spoke and swiftly removed his own jacket to drape over him. "Gladio, give me your jacket," he thrust out a waiting hand, "We need to keep him warm until the paramedics arrive."

"I-I don't know," Noctis finally snapped out of his momentary trance, "It happened so fast, I didn't see much." He saw the brunet slowly work his way down to Prompto's leg and an involuntary shiver ran through him and he had to look away, but he still heard the subdued gasp leave the other's mouth.

"Prompto?" Ignis asked, turning his attention to his face. For only a second, he met the shield's gaze and nodded towards the wound, indicating that he should try to do what he could with that before help could get there. "I need you to look at me."

Slowly, hazed blue orbs drifted over, a startled and agonized cry sounding out when he felt an unwelcomed pressure on his throbbing leg. "Calm down, help is on the way, ok? Do you understand?" Sluggishly, he got a nod. "Good, Gladio is trying to slow the bleeding right now, so it will be a bit painful, but you just have to try and bear with it." He reached a hand to cup his face when he noticed it trying to look down, and the coolness didn't bode well with him, "Keep your eyes up here." He risked a quick look down at the brute, his chest clenching from the crimson that coated his hands and the concerned and alarmed look on his own face. By now, he was using the prince's jacket to stunt the flow the best he could, but it was swiftly soaking through.

Thinking quickly, he waved Noctis over, "Noct, where are the rest of his clothing?" The other nodded over to the boat, "Alright, I need you to grab his bandanna and hand it to Gladio so he can tie the wound off", with that being said, he turned back to Promopto. And, his heart eased up a little bit when he heard the sirens in the distance. Alright, not much longer and professionals could take over. "Hear that?" he tapped his face lightly, and he groggily met emerald eyes, another jolt going through him as more pressure suddenly greeted his leg and he couldn't stop another pained gasp from leaking out.

His face visibly relaxed when his eyes wandered around a bit and found Noctis, his breathing finally slowing slightly with him in sight. "What's," he shivered and cleared his throat, "happening?" his eyes pleaded his friend for an answer.

Said person crouched next to his head and stroked his hand over his hair, moving it away from his face., "Prompto, you're hurt, and... it's not good. So, you're going to have to go have that taken care of." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Everything will be fine though, just stay calm, and try not to give them a hard time, alright?" He glanced over his shoulder and nodded before giving the blond a reassuring pat on the arm and backed away to make room for the paramedics. Gladio and Ignis did the same as soon as they felt they were close enough to immediately take their places.

He was sure he didn't take a single breath the whole time; not when the mask was placed over his face, not when they covered him in thermal blankets and quickly tended to his wound. And, still not when they prepared him on the stretcher. All the while, small whimpers, gasps and groans could be heard while they worked, each one was like a knife straight into his gut. "He-he'll be alright, right?" he asked, grabbing hold of one of the men's sleeves in passing.

His hand was swiftly brushed away, "Sir, there's not much we can say at the moment, but we are kind of in a rush. You're free to follow us to the hospital though." He went to turn, but Noctis' voice turned him back,

"I want to ride with him."

The man bit his lip, clearly hating this part, "I'm sorry, but we can't let you do that, we need all the space we can, I hope you understand." He offered the prince a sympathetic smile before turning back on the spot, this time with no intention of stopping again.

Seeing the raven almost reach out again, Ignis placed a halting hand on his shoulder, "Noct, let them do their jobs. As much as it pains me to say this, you'd only be in the way if you were to join him in the back of that vehicle. We'll just have to follow them there, but the longer you pelt them with questions and requests, the longer it will take them to get Prompto the help he needs. Try to keep that in mind." The words weren't harsh, but that didn't stop them from stinging any less.

Words danced on the tip of his tongue for a few moments, but the closing of the doors snapped him back, just before the sirens started up again, "Let's just go," he decided on, shoving past Ignis and heading to the Regalia.

He made for the driver's seat, but the adviser was quick to stop him as soon as his hand touched the door handle, "I think it's best if I do the driving; you're not exactly... stable enough right now." He tried to choose his words carefully, but the raven still scoffed and nearly snatched his hand away to round over to the other side where he slid in with a huff.

"Fine," he sighed, almost snappily. Gladio looked to Ignis with a slow shake of his head, saying to just leave him. But, Ignis' eyes only stared down at the blood covering the man's hands and lower arms. Catching the stare, he hastily hopped in the back and folded them over his chest, trying to hide the majority of them from view. The brunet lowered his head, hiding his face from the both of them as he too climbed in and instantly started the car up. Now, all there was to do was wait until the ambulance left, which of course didn't take long.

The strategist didn't have to look, nor ask to know that Noctis was practically no longer in his seat anymore, but he chose not to comment on it, not now anyway. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out after it and began the short, yet still too long trip to the hospital, and every second was a second spent in agonized anxiety.

* * *

After only about ten minutes or so, it may have been faster, but to them it felt like an hour, they pulled in and found a place to park. The prince was the only one in a rush to get out, fumbling with the handle in his haste. "Noctis," Gladio called from the back. "Take a deep breath will ya? You can't be barging in there like this," he gestured to the raven as a whole. "They won't be able to tell us anything yet anyway, so it's probably best if you stay out here for a moment to compose yourself."

"I don't care," Noctis almost slammed the door behind him. "This is my fault, so I'm going to be there."

Neither tried to stop him, both knowing it would do no good; in fact, all it would do is cause a scene and this was probably the worst place to start something like that. "Just leave him be," Ignis waved a hand. "He'll calm down once he's inside, I'm sure."

"Or you hope," the brute corrected, opening his own door. "You should stay with him and make sure he behaves himself, I'm going to..." he looked himself over and his expression dropped. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up." Pulling a few of his clothes from the trunk, he headed towards the building with a wave to the other.

Ignis returned the gesture, but chose to sit where he was for a few minutes more, needing a bit more time to process what the hell just happened; it was so quick, and... out of nowhere. He removed his glasses and ran a hand down his face to try and calm himself. Though collected on the outside, he was a mess on the inside. Checking himself once in the rearview mirror, he decided he looked together enough to be presentable and went ahead and exited, locking up behind himself before walking briskly after the prince. Who knows what kind of trouble he'd start if left alone for too long.

He strolled on in, the cool air and clean smell hitting him the moment he stepped in, and it wasn't until that that it really struck him. But, there wasn't time to internally freak out yet, he still had to locate the prince, and with a simple glance around, he spotted him; there he sat, elbows on knees and with his head resting on his hands. His face was locked onto the floor, clearly avoiding looking at anyone, or anything, else. Carefully, he took the seat next to him and kept a gaze on him. "Noct," he finally spoke after a few seconds, "Did you ask where he was yet, or for any news as to what's going on?"

The prince nodded, but didn't look up. "Yeah, they don't really have anything yet," he whispered, shaking his head now. "But, they did say it was likely that they would need to operate on it." His hands began to shake slightly as they tightened their grip on one another. "Said they'd let me know as soon as they know anything."

Ignis chewed on the inside of his cheek before answering. "Well, it's not bad news per se," he offered, but his own tone sounded doubtful, the image of the wound surfacing in his head again. "He got here quick enough, so, it is likely the leg can be sav-"

"Just stop it, will you?" For the first time, he turned his head enough to cut his eyes up at the older man, "I don't want to hear it." He gradually straightened up, and folded his arms over his chest, his clothes still clung to him as he never even bothered drying off. "I saw it, I know how bad it looked, I don't need to be reminded."

"Of course not," Ignis replied quietly, throwing a few glances around at the others that occupied the room, "And I know you don't want to hear this either, but you should still prepare yourself, just in case things don't go... the way you'd hope them to." He could almost hear the other grinding his teeth in agitation, but he continued to go on, "All I'm saying is, you need to be prepared for the worst, no matter what that may be; you don't want to get your hopes up-"

"I'm already expecting the worst!" he snapped back, on his feet the instant the first syllable left his mouth. "Ignis, I could... I could see the bone, I'm pretty sure I'm not expecting the best out of this."

"Sit back down and calm yourself," Ignis hissed out, glancing around.

The raven took a few shuddering breaths. "You want me to calm down?" he asked rhetorically, "How the hell do you expect me to 'calm down' when Prompto, my friend, almost had his damn leg ripped to shreds? And, we don't even know what's going to happen to it or him!" He was left panting for air, "He wouldn't have even been out there... if I hadn't suggested such a stupid idea. And now..." blinking a few times, he turned to face away, the feeling of his eyes stinging was sign enough that he didn't want to be seen anymore.

Ignis breathed out through his nose and stood himself to join the other, "Your Highness, first, you need to understand that things like this cannot be expected, and therefor can be no one's fault. It's nothing more than an unfortunate event that can't be helped."

"'An unfortunate event' that could have been avoided if we hadn't made a little detour," Noctis retorted, his hands balling into fists.

The adviser looked around one more time, seeing a few curious eyes flicking in their direction. "I think we had best step outside, maybe get some fresh air," he offered, already guiding the other towards the door. "We can talk about it out here until you feel fine enough to head back in, but I think that environment won't help any." To his surprise, the other was moving willingly now, complying without complaint and walking ahead of him, ready to get out of this place himself apparently. But, he kept a supportive hand on his upper arm regardless of that, not trusting him to be one-hundred percent for the time being.

"Alright, here we go," Ignis took a seat next to him. "Gladio is in there right now, I'll tell him to let us know if he hears anything, alright?" He waited for that nod before continuing, "This way, you won't miss anything of importance, so there's no need to concern yourself with any of that." He tapped away quickly at his phone, occasionally flashing his eyes over to make sure Noctis was still staying situated. He gave a quick 'thanks' and hung up. "Ok, just take a few breaths and relax; look at the positive side, he's alive, and he'll be fine."

"It could have gone so much worse," Noctis sighed out, the moment it all went wrong replaying in his mind. "It would have been so much worse." He gazed down to his hands, the feeling of his sword in them still fresh in his mind. Hell, the whole thing was still far too vivid for his liking. "You didn't see that thing, it should have been able to do so much more, but it didn't get the chance to," he lowered his head to run both hands through his damp hair. "I acted without thinking, and I think it's dead, but I'm not sure, I didn't think to check if it was still alive or not."

"That doesn't matter," Ignis assured. "You were able to get him out of there in... alive, and that's more than enough, and you know he'll be more than grateful for it, despite the price of it." His hand unconsciously placed itself on the other's knee to grip supportively, "And, when he's awake and ready, he'll let you know that himself. So, until then, don't beat yourself up over it."

For a few seconds, they sat in silence until Noctis eventually muttered under his breath. The other didn't quite catch what it was, but it sounded something like a 'yeah'. He was about to ask what was said, but his phone dinged, pulling his attention immediately to it. "It's Gladio," he answered the prince's unasked question. "He has news. Are you ready to head back in, or would you rather him come out here to discuss things?"

"I-I think I'm good now," Noctis allowed his muscles to release some of the tension and got to his feet with a much more relaxed demeanor. "Alright, let's go."

They met him back in the waiting room, and with the day gradually coming to an end, they were relieved to see that a majority of the people had cleared out now. "What's going on?" Noctis cut right to it, not wasting time with pleasantries as he stepped to stand directly before the larger man.

"Back up a bit, let me breathe will ya?" he easily placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back by a few inches, "They're working on him now, all they said was they're doing what they can to repair the muscle. He'll get to keep the leg so long as infection doesn't set in and get too bad, and it will take some time, but he will be able to walk on it," his voice was low and there was something about it the prince didn't appreciate.

"There's more than that, isn't there?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "What aren't you saying?"

Gladio took a deep breath and looked away for a second, "Well, he should be able to walk again, but that will be a while. And... they said it's not likely for him to regain full use of it even after recovery and physical therapy." His mouth formed a straight line as he awaited the reaction he knew would come.

"W-wh-what are you saying?" Noctis stammered, glancing between him and Ignis, "You just said he'd be able to walk."

"Yes, but walking is one thing, fighting and... doing what we do, is another. And even then, Noctis, it's likely he'll need some sort of assistance, even after all is said and done." It was obvious it hurt him to relay all this info, but it needed to be said, and it needed time to set in. "What I'm saying is, he won't be like he was, and nothing can be done about that."

Noctis slowly shook his head and took a step back, "No, no, no, how can they be sure about that? You can't know that for sure yet, not this early on. This is Prompto we're talking about, he's stubborn and determined enough, so they do not know that for sure."

"Noct," Ignis reached out for him, but his hand was swatted away.

"No, I don't care what they say, they're wrong. It wouldn't be the first time doctors were wrong about something, they've made plenty of mistakes before and this is no exception."

The others shared a knowing look with one another, and Ignis decided it was time for him to take over, "It'll be a while before we hear anything else, I'm sure. Let's go have a seat and I'll go get us all a cup of coffee until there's more news." He cocked his head towards the waiting room and gave Gladio another look that said, 'talk about something else,' before he went off to carry out his said task.

* * *

Noctis held his coffee in both hands, the paper cup still over half filled and had long since cooled. Meanwhile, the others had gone through at least three cups of their own, maybe more. He didn't know, he barely paid attention to what was going on around him. But, he was too preoccupied with staring down in the contents of his cup, watching as they swirled around, and with each swish all he could see was that damned ocean, tinted with red and the splashes as his friend fought to get out of- "Excuse me," he glanced up for his eyes to meet a coated man, "I'm assuming you are the party for," he glanced down at his board, "a Mr. Argentum?" he asked, giving them a quizzical look.

"Yeah, we're the only ones in here, aren't we?" Noctis retorted less than patiently. But, he was still on his feet, his eyes begging for news.

"Noctis, we know you're eager, but how about you at least try to act civil," his shield near lectured, but chose not to carry it out longer than that and turned to the doctor. "Whatcha got for us?" he asked with a lot more kindness than the prince had.

Nodding, the man glanced back down to his board, "He's out of surgery and should be waking soon, so if you want, you have permission to see him. Just be warned, he won't be all there for a little while. The anesthetics are still wearing off and he is on a pretty generous dosage of pain killers. So, don't be alarmed if he says anything that seems out of the ordinary." He gave them a moment to process that, "If you wish, I can show you to his room, but I ask that you try to keep it down, we've already had him, uh, let's just say he didn't react well when he first came to."

"Just take us to him," Noctis again bit out, quickly growing agitated with waiting. He met the man's eyes and quickly added, "If you don't mind, of course."

"Not at all," he kept his professionalism up, never once did a flash of annoyance appear on his face, only understanding and compliance. "Right this way," he waved a hand as he turned on the spot and began leading the way. It was a bit farther than they would have liked, none of them were even sure what floor they were on anymore, they only focused and concerned themselves with what they would walk in to see. "Here we are," he sighed, stepping to the side to allow them to approach the door. "Nurses' station is right around that corner, and if you need anything, or if anything seems too off, don't hesitate to call for one of them and they'll be happy to oblige."

"Thank you," Ignis gave a quick and curt bow and gestured for Noctis to head in first. "After you," he whispered, Gladio stepping back as well to provide enough room. Swallowing hard, the prince placed a slightly trembling hand on the handle, and carefully pulled it down, and with a reluctant exhale, he pushed it open.

"Prompto?" he uttered, eyes going immediately from the blond's still pale and confused looking features to his heavily bound leg propped up on a couple pillows. His glazed blues gradually met his own, and a flash of recognition graced him and he tried to say his name. But, due to his dry throat and hazy mind, a mere croak was all that came out. A few pitiful coughs sounded out in an attempt to find his voice, but Noctis was next to him in the next instant, trying to hush him. "Sh, you don't need to speak, just take it easy," his heart was again thumping painfully, right after it had finally calmed down too.

Ignis stepped in next, still keeping his distance to allow the two of them to have a moment to themselves before intervening. He too found himself drawn to the gunner's thickly wrapped limb, his chest tightening at Gladio's words. Sure, he had seen the extent of it himself, but it was still something hard to accept, and for once he dearly hoped Noctis was right about them being wrong.

"N-ct," he got a portion of his name out at last, "Wh're am I?" he asked, the fingers in his left hand wandering ever closer to the IV in his left arm until they reached it and started fidgeting with it.

"Prom, don't touch that, that has to stay where it is," the prince gently pulled his hand away before he was able to yank it out, only for him to then reach for the cannula across his face. "That too, that has to stay too, alright? I know it's not comfortable, but you can't mess with either of those."

He only breathed heavily in clear agitation at being told what not to do, "I kn-w that," he weakly tried to swat the prince's hand away. "Did'ya catch an-thing?" he asked, as if nothing had just happened.

Noctis had to blink a few times in confusion before it fully registered, "Oh, uhh, no, not exactly," he replied, turning to pull one of the nearby chairs closer, "Nothing worth keeping anyway."

"Cooool," he drawled out, turning his head to the other side. "Wh're we?" he asked again, realizing he never got an answer the first time he had asked. The puzzlement and growing panic was clear in his widening eyes as he took in unfamiliar sights and smells, and Noctis was the only thing keeping him from going over the edge.

He chewed on his lip, really dreading this part, "Prom, something happened and you're in the hospital, but everything's fine now, you're going to be alright." He reached out to grab a hold of the blond's continuously wandering hand to keep it from prodding anything else. "The others are here too," he leaned a bit to the right so they could more easily be seen. And, they in turn took this as an invitation to come closer, both of which occupied the other side of the bed.

"Glad-y, Ig," he mumbled, squinting in an attempt to make sure it was really them he was looking at, "Hmm, you two look a lil'... weird." He looked back over to Noct, who being closer also looked a bit more normal, "Wha' happened?"

It was already obvious he wasn't retaining any new information well at the moment, so Noctis figured he would just have to gloss over things, say just enough to satisfy his impaired mind. "Well, you were in the water, and something... something bit you. But, like I said, it's fine now."

"Oh," he answered simply. "If it's fine, then lesgo," he gave a poor effort at a shrug and tried to move, but the moment his left leg was jostled in the slightest he whimpered lightly and ceased his movement. "It'urts," he slurred, closing his eyes against the dull throb.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go, you have to stay here for a little while," Noctis kept his tone calm and light, not wanting to cause more reason for negative reactions.

"Prompto," Ignis finally spoke up, crouching down next to him. "It's as Noct said, something happened, and you should just try to take it easy for a while, think you can do that?" He spoke clearly and slowly, making sure each word was heard and understood. And, surprisingly, he got a nod out of the younger man. "Good, you should try and get some rest now, I promise, we'll still be here when you wake up."

"Kay," he groggily answered, already struggling to stay awake as it were. "M'tired," he murmured, allowing his head to lull uselessly to the side.

Noctis easily brushed blond hair from his face, "I know, you can go to sleep now, we're not going anywhere, so you don't need to worry about that. We'll be here if you need anything, so just focus on relaxing, alright?" He waited for a reply but never received one and realized quickly that he was already out, his breathing evening out and his hand loosening in his own. The prince let out a relieved sigh and leaned back slightly, but never retracted his hand. "That didn't take much convincing," he chuckled for lack of anything better.

"Yeah," Gladio answered, rounding back around to the raven's side to sit in the chair next to him with a huff. "But, didn't expect him to stay awake long. Next time he should be more lucid, and you know what that means."

Noctis gave a curt nod. "I do, it means he'll need a real explanation," he breathed out, dreading that moment to come. "But, we'll be here to help him through it," he promised. "Even if it means it'll take a while."


	2. Free to Go 'Home'

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and istoleyourcheesecake**

 **Patient info from: Bagpipes5k2**

 **Yeah, never had much hospital experience, from either side, so I need all the help I can get on this one.**

 **So, this chapter is a bit of the calm before the storm, shit is about to hit the fan though after this. ;D**

* * *

 **MysteriousBean : Thank you. This is gonna be the hardest one I've done so far, so I'm really hoping it's enjoyed. XD**

 **Jesswinch : Thank you~ Glad you liked it. ^-^ (It's been so long since I've taken Spanish, so I won't even attempt to reply in it. lol)**

 **twaxer : LOL I had tooooo, it hurt, but I thought it was a nice touch. XD Ohhhhhh, you have no idea. This is the story I have done the most research for. The actual shark attack and short hospital stay was probably less the 5% of research done. This is gonna be a bit bumpy. lol**

 **Bagpipes5K2 : Thank you as always. ^-^ Always far too kind. ;w; And it will be kinda like that, maybe a bit more rough around the edges, but hoping it will be a tad more painful.**

* * *

He couldn't breathe; everything was weighing him down and despite his desperate struggles, he just couldn't reach the surface. But, the worst of it was his leg; and, without taking a single glance downward, Prompto could feel the immense hold something had on it as it continued to drag him farther down. It was the pain, though, that was so overwhelming, and he was positive his limb was being ripped from his body. The urge to scream from the agony tempted him, but he fought against it, knowing that the moment he opened his mouth, it was all over.

His free foot kicked out, and more than once he felt it connect solidly with his captor. Unfortunately, it did little to alleviate its grasp. Instead, it was quite the opposite as razors dug in deeper, deeper than he thought was possible. It was too much, his will wasn't fortified enough to prevent the silent scream. Just as water rushed in, quickly filling his lungs, he felt a strong tug from below as his vision was veiled in crimson clouds.

'Help!' he wanted to call out, but he couldn't find his voice.

His eyes darted around, only to be obscured by puffs of red and endless blue in all directions.

'Someone... please...' he begged internally, knowing there was no help to be had. His heart thrummed, racing in his chest and the red thickened around him with each beat. In the back of his head, he could hear a faint beeping, increasing in volume with each passing second until it sounded as though it were right next to him.

"–ompto." It sounded so muffled, distorted by the endless ocean engulfing him. A few more words were spoken, but they were incoherent and fading in and out of recognition. He knew it was his name that was flowing through the currents to him though, that was the only thing that was clear to him. "Prompto!" That was the one that did it, the one that pulled him back to his senses. It was clear and damn near panicked.

His eyes snapped open, but... he never remembered closing them; the scene was completely different from that submerged hell as well. Not that he was complaining about the switch. Pulse still racing, he glanced around, not recalling this place in the slightest. Prompto's breath hitched as that dull pain returned, though luckily not as bad as previously. "Prom," he darted his less than eager vision over.

"Noct..." he croaked, the single word cracking from lack of use. The shortened name was followed directly by a groan as his heart rate settled and his body caught up with him. "Why does..." he took a deep breath to combat his swimming head, "Why does everythin' feel 'eavy?" He tried to raise an arm, but he could barely lift it a few inches before it fell back against the bed.

The raven sighed, his gaze looking a tad apologetic; luckily, the look was lost to the blond, his own attention unable to focus long enough to make things out. "They have you on some pretty strong stuff, Prom."

The gunner's eyes narrowed in question, "What kinda stuff? Why?" He scanned over his body, his eyes landing on his leg which looked so out of place. "It'still there..." he slurred, coming off as surprised. Noctis watched as his left hand tried to reach down to feel it, only to give up within a few seconds.

"Yeah," the prince replied, "Yeah, it's still there." He inhaled deeply once more and glanced down to take a look for himself. He's been here for nearly twelve hours as it were, but he still couldn't bear to look at the limb for more than a second at a time. The other two had long since left, renting a hotel nearby after they were ushered away by staff. And, it took a bit of convincing, but given Prompto's earlier outburst upon waking, they all agreed it was in his best interest if at least one of them were to stay by him to prevent him from freaking out again.

Prompto cleared his throat, wincing with the dryness in it. "Thirsty," he whined out, closing his eyes as he attempted to shift around a bit. Even considering that traumatizing nightmare and going through what he did, there was no persuading himself that he didn't need water. He smacked his lips and licked at them fruitlessly.

"I'll go see if I can get you something for that," Noctis offered, giving the other a kind smile and a small pat on the arm. "I'll be right back," he promised, keeping an eye on the blond all the way until he rounded the corner, making sure he didn't make any moves to try and follow.

Left to himself, Prompto took another look around the room, but with his eyes taking their time adjusting, it did nothing but throw him off and give him a light headache. Shutting it all away, he relaxed his head against the pillows. The dull throbs radiating from his leg slowly pushed their way to the front of his mind. They weren't particularly painful, thanks to the drugs, but they were quite irritating. The need to move it or something, anything really, was gnawing away at him; but, with the overbearing weakness he felt all throughout him, he knew that was something that wouldn't be done anytime soon.

Footsteps slowly approached back, and stopped right next to him as the presence sat back down. Cracking an eye open, the blond cut his gaze over to Noctis who had a cup in hand. "Not exactly water," he shrugged in sympathy, "Since they said that's not the best idea just yet. But, they did say you could have ice chips. So, that's better than nothing, right?"

"Guess," he really didn't care too much what it was, as long as it relieved his dry mouth, then it was good enough. His hand twitched before it cooperated enough to reach for the cup.

"You sure you got it?" Noctis asked, hesitating in handing it over.

Prompto merely huffed out in frustration and just shook his hand in a silent and offended way of asking for the cup. Nodding in understanding, the raven handed it over, letting his hand hover close by should the other's grasp slip. He groggily peered over the rim of the styrofoam, blinking a few times to see it more clearly. Yeah, it was ice alright. "Could jus' let it melt," he shrugged, "Then just drink the water."

"Orrrrrr, you could eat the chips like you're supposed to," Noctis suggested, making it clear Prompto wasn't going to have his way in this. The other looked as though he wanted to argue, but in the end, decided he couldn't be bothered and used his other hand to take a few of the ice chunks out before tossing them in his mouth. "And just let them melt in your mouth," Noctis instructed, knowing the next thing he'd do is just chew them up.

He cut his eyes back over, "I know 'ow to eat ice."

Noctis only rolled his eyes as he watched one of the chips drop from his mouth as he spoke. "Of course, you do."

Once the first few dissolved into a moistened bliss, the blond looked to the other again, this time with a more serious expression on his face. "Noct?" he asked for his attention, "What exactly happened? Why am I 'ere?" There was an inkling of fear and bewilderment in his dulled-out gaze.

The raven knew he'd have to explain again sooner or later, he just assumed it wouldn't be this soon. He was hoping for at least a day or so. "What do you remember?" he asked, really not wanting to explain the whole thing. The image of it hadn't set well with him quite yet.

Prompto chewed on his bottom lip, mulling it over, but the only thing he could remember was, "I was in the water..." He took a deep breath, "And something... something grabbed me. I think." It was a blur, and the pain was rather fresh.

"Yeah," the prince dropped his eyes down to look at the bed instead, "You were, well, you were bit. And, it was pretty bad." He glanced at his leg again, the thick wrapping on it weighing heavily in the pit of his stomach. Noctis prayed to whatever astrals were listening that he'd retain the information this time around; he didn't know how many times he could handle repeating it.

The blond's lips tightened into a straight line and his cup of ice was lowered to his side, his other hand dropping to rest on his chest. "But, I'll be able to use it again?" he questioned, concern heavy in his voice; and, for the first time since it happened, he sounded one hundred percent lucid. He was staring across blankly at his limb, honestly afraid of the reply he'd get. What if Noctis told him it was hopeless? It was still there though, they wouldn't leave a useless limb attached, would they?

"Don't worry," Noctis spoke softly, "It'll be fine, they told us that given you follow instructions, you should get most of the use back to it."

"'Should'... 'most'?" Prompto repeated, his voice tight and slightly shaky. "W-what does that mean? They aren't sure? Is there just a small chance, or what? How is it not a 'will' and just a 'shou-'"

"Prom," the raven interrupted, "Calm down. As long as you do as they say, it's guaranteed." He stared at the side of his face until he finally turned to return the gaze. "Alright?"

He still looked apprehensive about the whole thing, still not satisfied with that answer. "But, how long is that going to take?" he questioned, and for this, Noctis didn't have a reply. "I imagine it's not something to just get over over night; and... you guys have to get on with your lives, don't you?" Another pang shot through the raven at the next part, "Kinda rendered useless for a while, huh?"

* * *

Tense hands curled tighter around the heat-radiating mug, a stressed sigh sounding out almost in unison with it. Ignis allowed his eyes to slide shut in an attempt to block out the pounds in the back of his head he felt creeping up on him. It was an annoying pain that had begun some hours ago, but it wasn't until now that it really started to get a spunk to it. Carefully, he peeled his emeralds back open and scanned them up to see Gladio in much the same state as himself. Elbow on the table, the shield had his forehead propped against it while his thumb ran circles over his temple.

Eventually, one of them would have to speak, and for once it was the larger man that picked up that responsibility. "So, how short are we on the expenses?" The adviser said nothing, but instead just shook his head and lifted his cup of coffee to take another generous sip. "That bad, huh?"

"Let's just say, we'll have to take on quite a few hunts for this one," he exhaled heavily. "But, what concerns me more than money is what are we going to do with him? You know as well as I do that he's not fit to come along with us, not until he heals anyway."

The mood deteriorated even further as that was brought to light. Of course, they were all painfully aware of that, but no one wanted to be the one to actually voice it aloud. "Are you gonna be the one to tell 'em?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "He's not going to take that well."

"Perhaps not, but what other options are there? Recovery could take quite some time, and as much as we may not agree with it, we simply cannot wait around until he's ready," Ignis' words sunk and clung to both of their hearts. "Wish it were possible, but it's not."

The brute nodded along, his hands going to rest on the table where they intertwined. "You know he can't go home either, though," he reminded. "I'm sure I don't need to clarify. But, even if he were able to, if something were to happen while left alone..." he fell quiet for a moment, again thinking of a way that they could all settle on. Then it hit him, "I have a feeling that he still won't be happy about it, but Iris is staying in Lestallum. And, well, I figure it'd be better for him to stay there than to be home alone most of the time," he leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. "Plus, they have a decent hospital there, so he can get the check-ups or whatever it is they're gonna tell him he needs to carry out."

The brunet breathed out heavily through his nose, his eyes dropping down to stare into the rapidly depleting contents of his cup; dammit, he had just filled it up. "You're right, he won't be too thrilled about that." It had nothing to do with the shield's younger sister, nor the location, but the fact that they felt the need to leave him in the company of someone is what was not going to sit well with the blond.

"So what?" The dark-haired man asked, "We just break it to him tomorrow? Or not tell him a thing and just drop him off when he's discharged?" The second part was more of a joke, but it honestly felt like the easier path to take when it came to the news.

Ignis only gave him a pointed look at that suggestion.

"Calm down, I was only kidding," he waved a hand, and grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. He grabbed his phone off the table to check the time and yawned as he scanned the blaring 'two forty-three' on the front screen. "I don't suppose sleep is an option for tonight," he muttered when the brunet headed back towards the coffee pot, now empty cup in hand. "With the way you're downing that stuff, you'll be awake for the next week."

Ignis ignored him while he poured. "There's enough for another cup, if you wish," he raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of the black beverage. They had planned on heading back to the hospital at nine, which was the moment they started allowing visitors. "They should permit him to leave later tomorrow, should he not show any negative signs," he sighed, but for some reason didn't sound too thrilled about it.

"That's good though, isn't it?" the shield followed suit in refilling his cup. "The sooner he's out, the sooner we can move on."

"The sooner we can move on without him," the adviser corrected, solemnly sitting back in his seat. Shaking his head, he finished off his thoughts. "You know, the bite is the easiest part in all this. As ridiculous as it sounds, the weeks after are the ones that are truly problematic."

The knowledge that the doctor had relayed to them about the blond most likely not getting full use back due to the extent of the damage still lingered in the brute's mind. With that thought dangling in front of him, it wasn't difficult to see what Ignis was getting at. "I know," Gladio nodded curtly. The two of them fell into a tense silence after that, neither wanting to discuss the issue further, but both being aware that it'd have to be brought back up sooner or later. But, it was clear it'd be best to save the details for when all were present.

* * *

Noctis leaned back in his chair, gaze staring blankly out the window as he blinked heavily to fight his body's pleas for more sleep. The sounds of Prompto's steady breaths were the only things he really heard as he waited for that moment they'd pick up again and he'd have to shake him awake from whatever hell he was living through again. The nurses had already been in once to check on the wound, cleaning it and changing the bandages; both of which the raven had to look away from.

The entire time, the blond had stayed silent, but there were those undeniable facial twitches that gave way to his discomfort with the whole thing. But, at least now he had fresh wrappings and was able to fall back asleep in a moment's notice.

The prince jumped at the abrupt opening of the door, and he instantly was shrouded with pent up annoyance. "How many times to you people plan on bargin–" he cut himself off and coughed sheepishly in his embarrassment when it wasn't more staff like he had expected. "Could have told me you guys were coming," he muttered, turning back to look out the window.

"We did," Gladio replied, glancing around to find his phone on the other side of the room, the light blinking to signal the new message. "Has he been out this whole time?" he nodded his head towards Prompto, who didn't even budge upon their arrival.

"Nah," Noctis turned back to face them, "He woke up around one this morning or so, stayed up for a few hours." He cut his eyes over, "But, they gave him a bit more pain killers after they cleaned him up, so that kinda knocked him back out." He stifled a shudder at the memory of his muffled whines every time they touched it. "That was around seven."

"Any other news about his condition?" Ignis cut right to the chase.

The prince did narrow his eyes marginally at the frankness. "There's no sign of an infection, so he should be fine to leave tonight. But, he still will need to get check-ups on it... and go to physical therapy in a couple weeks, depending on his progress," he felt like he was reading off a piece of paper, it just didn't feel right.

Gladio flicked his attention from Prompto and back to Noctis, and the look in that amber stare caused the latter to shift uncomfortably in his seat. Carefully, the shield took the chair next to him and crossed his legs. "Noct, you know he's gonna have to stay somewhere, right?"

"You really think I haven't already thought about that?" he bit more harshly than he intended.

He ignored the terse tone and continued, "Iggy and I were talking about that, and we both think it's best that he stays with Iris for a bit... in Lestallum." He dropped his gaze, waiting for the outburst that never came.

"Alright," he said flatly, almost absent of real emotion.

"So, you're alright with that?" he questioned skeptically; he seemed to be taking this conclusion pretty damn well.

Noctis shrugged and glanced towards the blond, "Well, it's not really up to me, is it?" Gladio followed the gaze to meet another set of less than fully awake blues staring back.

The blond hummed a greeting and gave a half-assed wave, "When did you guys get here?" His voice was still a tad rough, but definitely not as bad as the day before. He cleared his throat and pulled himself to sit up a bit higher to get a better look at them. And, to his relief, he could make them all out fairly well.

"We only just arrived," Ignis answered in the shield's place, deciding it was probably best if he were to do the talking and took the seat next to the bed. "Gladio and I were discussing the near future, and well, I think we've come up with a system that will be best for all of us." He tried to keep his tone as positive as he were able. "Our current funds don't quite cover the costs," he kept all blame from the statement, "Which means we'll have to take on some hunts to acquire the gil to finish paying off the bills." He took a deep breath to get to the worst part, but Prompto beat him to it.

"So, I can't come along. I already figured that part," he chuckled bitterly. "I-I understand though, I'd only get in the way after all." His hands tightened around the sheets, a light sting radiating from the right as he did so. Glancing down, he realized for the first time the white bandage wrapped around that as well.

Ignis' mouth formed a firm line, and that was all the confirmation the gunner needed; so, he really was rendered useless for a bit. "What do you say to staying in Lestallum for a little while?" he asked in hopes to lift his spirits at least a little. After all, it was no secret that the guy thrived in cities. "It will just be until you're back on your feet," he assured. "Once you're back up, there shouldn't be any issues with you coming along with us again."

"Yeah, I get it," Prompto brushed off. "It's no big deal, really." Ignis could tell he was trying to toss the conversation aside, and he could honestly say he didn't blame him for avoiding it.

But, there was still more to it. "We're going to be taking on hunts in that area, so we will still be staying there often," and that sparked a smidgen of a twitch in Prompto's expression. "That sound better?"

The younger nodded, though it didn't matter what any of them said, it didn't change the fact that he had to mostly sit around for weeks, maybe months. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine with that," he replied, putting on a forced smile for their sake. Luckily, for all of them, one more person entered the room, this one being an older nurse with a more than kind expression.

"Good morning, Mister Argentum," she glanced down at the chart in her hand. "Are you feeling up to eating anything?" she asked, cutting her eyes upward.

Slowly, the blond shook his head, "Nah, I'm not really hungry."

The woman clicked her tongue in disapproval. "I'm sure that's most likely due to the medication. Are you sure? You'll feel better if you have something." He was set with a look that didn't leave him much room for arguing, so he finally gave in and agreed to have a little something. "Alrighty then, I'll be back shortly," she gave a small wave before dipping back out.

Prompto took a deep breath and leaned back with a slight wince. "I'm just ready to get out of here," he whispered, mostly to himself. "I hate this place, I hate the medication, and I hate this bed."

"It's only been a day," Gladio reminded, eyebrow raised in question.

"One day too long." And, just like that, he was sulking, in that mood that was near impossible to work with. "When do I start physical therapy?" he asked out of the blue, looking right back to Ignis expectantly.

The inquiry caught the man off guard and he was taken aback by the bluntness of it. "That's not for us to say," he answered plainly. "That all depends on when you heal enough and when you feel you're ready for it as well as when your doctor approves for you to start." There was an edge of seriousness to his tone, almost like a silent warning not to rush this. "But, it will be at least a few days, I'm sure. Those stitches are still fresh."

Prompto didn't reply to the adviser, but he did acknowledge his words and even gave him a mouthed 'ok'.

At that time, his nurse returned with tray in hand, nothing more than a bowl of soup and some crackers, something relatively simple. "Here we are, sweetie," she chirped, pulling the table over for him and placing the meal on top. "Also, in an hour or so, we need to get you fitted for crutches," she gave a sympathetic look as she spoke. And again, Prompto just nodded along with what she was saying, but didn't seem to really be paying much attention.

He thanked her on the way out and picked up the spoon next to the bowl just to stir the contents around for about a minute. "I'm pretty sure it's mixed well enough," Gladio commented when he saw no signs of him ceasing the action. "Might wanna eat it before it gets cold."

"I will," he shrugged, finally taking a bite of it. Taking his time actually swallowing it, he glanced back and forth between the two of them, noticing for the first time the darkness under both pairs of eyes. "Did you two sleep at all?" he changed the subject.

Gladio snorted at that, "If you count closing my eyes for about ten minutes, then yeah, we did." He stretched his arms back with a yawn, "A nap is sounding pretty damn tempting right about now."

"So, take one," Noctis piped up, "We got time." In other words, he intended on doing the same himself.

"Yeah, you may as well," Prompto agreed. "Not like I'm goin' anywhere." He took another bite, doing so more out of habit, his appetite not really catching on quite yet. Glancing down, he went back to swirling the stuff around. "Kinda bland," he mumbled. "Can't quite compete with your cooking," he looked to Ignis.

The adviser returned the smile as he folded his hands in his lap. The two of them made small talk while he ate at a snail's pace; the other two had drifted off long ago, leaving the other two to their own accord. There were a few genuine laughs here and there and an inkling of normalcy sprinkled throughout their conversation. Prompto lowered the spoon into the now empty bowl while Ignis helped with sliding the table out of the way.

It wasn't long after that that the nurse returned in order to take the tray back with her as well as quickly go over the plan for that day before he'd be allowed to leave. "So, your doctor should be here soon enough to get your fitting taken care of; he'll teach you how to use them and go over the basics," she explained clearly, giving them the chance to answer any questions if they had them. "After that, we'll go over how to properly care for the wound, and once all that is taken care of, you'll be free to get signed out." She clapped her hands together as she finished, a pleased look about her.

By the time said doctor arrived, Prompto was a ball of nerves, and the very thought of finally trying to stand, even with assistance, kind of terrified him. Luckily, adjusting the crutches didn't take nearly as long as he expected, nor did getting himself to sit on the edge of the bed. But, that was primarily due to two others helping him, much to his chagrin.

"Take your time, and do so slowly," the man instructed, standing close by should his patient stumble. Prompto let out a small groan as he pulled himself up, and he instantly felt out of his element. "There you go, now take a moment to get used to standing."

Noctis watched on from his seat, his chest clenching throughout the entire procedure. There was no way around it, he'd have to get used to this as well.

After standing for a couple minutes, the blond took his first step and almost lost his balance. But, there his doctor was, quick to place a supportive hand on his upper arm to prevent him from toppling over. "That's alright, just give it another go; it will take some time to grow accustomed to."

"Right," the blond took a deep breath and tried again, this time going much more smoothly. Then he took another and then a third until he finally fell into the rhythm of it. It didn't take long before the few yards he traveled up and down the hall left him slightly out of breath and he had to return to his room where he dropped himself back on the edge of the bed.

Now was the fun part... learning how to clean and re-wrap the leg. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that they had to watch it be done. He showed the proper way to wash it without disturbing the stitches; the gunner winced and hissed a few times. Other than that, he held it together rather well. Then was the wrapping; not too tight and not too loose. "And, that's it," he finished up, asking if they had any questions or if Prompto had anyone that could help him at home if the need arose.

Prompto swiftly shook his head, "I think I'm good, we have all that covered."

"Alright, I'll just go get your forms for you to fill out, then you're free to go when you're ready." He gave him a smile and a nod as he turned his back to them.

"Well, I bet you're glad to get out of here," Noctis tried to break the mood with a bit of light-heartedness. "Getting to leave sooner than expected at least."

The other unconsciously grabbed and massaged his leg just above the bandages. "Oh yeah, you have no idea," he mumbled, trying to rub the aches out.

"Does it hurt?" he sounded concerned.

"No, no, it's fine," Prompto replied too quickly. "It itches more than anything." He tried to pry a couple fingers underneath the white edge, but Ignis was swift to swat the hand away. "Hey!" he cried out in startlement.

A light knock and the doctor was back in, papers in one hand and a pen in the other. "Fill this out, and I'll get a prescription for the pain medication written up for you. It will be waiting at the front desk for you when you're finished with that." He gingerly handed them both over, the blond gently taking the pen in his wrapped hand.

For a moment, he only looked at it, unsure how to grip it when Ignis took both from him. "Wh-what are you doing?" he sounded offended by the sudden confiscation of the forms and pen. "I can fill out a few papers."

"I know, but this is just easier," he shrugged, already filling in the generic stuff, leaving the names blank for him to do that himself. "With your dominant hand like that, I imagine this wouldn't be comfortable." Prompto only exhaled heavily, his thumbs twiddling idly in his lap as he waited for the stuff to be handed back.

* * *

With the paperwork sorted out, it was time for the moment they were all dreading, the gunner especially. And, no matter how much he was against it, nor how embarrassing it may have been. There was no denying that he wasn't quite capable of getting changed by himself... not just yet anyway. This task was left to the prince, he was about the only one he was willing to help. But, even that was pushing the boundaries a degree too far. Neither of them commented on it, neither of them wanted to think on it any longer than they had to.

"Shall we?" Ignis gestured to the door as the two of them stepped out of the bathroom, both an impressive shade of pink, and it was hard to tell if it was from the humiliation or the exertion. Perhaps it was a mix of both.

The trip to the front desk wasn't that far, but for someone who literally just learned the art of using crutches, it was quite the arduous journey. Ignis made the exchange and did all the signing for Prompto, who was still getting used to his new sense of movement; didn't want to risk him falling just yet. "You three can go ahead back to the Regalia," Ignis suggested, "I need to have a word with the doctor about setting up arrangements in Lestallum."

The others nodded in agreement, Gladio leading the way while Noctis took on the back, and the blond couldn't help but feel like a protected calf between the two of them. But, he remained silent on the subject, he knew they were only watching out for his well-being, as annoying as their way of doing so may have been.

As the stumps clanked against a different surface, the traction threw him off and he tripped forward with the lack of preparation. Almost out of instinct, the subtle gasp caught Gladio's attention in time for him to spin around and catch the faltering blond.

"You alright?" the shield asked, making sure the younger was steady again.

"I'm fine," he replied right away, snippy at that. He shook the heavy hand away and hobbled ahead of the others as if to prove a point.

Expression falling, the brute followed after him, Noctis close behind who shared the same pitied feelings. Albeit, he also had a heaping serving of guilt layered on top at the sight of his friend struggling thanks to him.

Fortunately for Prompto, the Regalia wasn't hard to pick out, despite not knowing where it was parked. He stood awkwardly next to it, waiting for Gladio to come over and unlock it, but the click sounded out before the others even reached him. Without waiting, he pulled the front door open, leaning unsteadily on one of his supports as he did so. For a moment, he stared at the passenger seat, unsure of how to go about this.

Noctis was the first to arrive, walking quickly and passing the other as he went. "Uh, you need some help?" he offered, genuinely trying to provide his aid.

"No, I got this," the other breathed out, determined to do things by himself. And, as ungraceful as it were, he managed to at least lower himself to sit, but there was still the task of actually getting his legs in. He looked completely at a loss, and ultimately accepted a little bit of help, much against his will.

"Thanks," he puffed out in annoyance and leaned his head back to close his eyes until the light throbs eased up. "I can't wait until this is over with."

He cracked an eye open when the sun was unexpectedly blocked from his side. There stood Gladio, hand outstretched, and it took him a moment to realize he was asking for the crutches. "Right," he handed them over so the man could put them in the back and out of the way.

"You all set?" the shield asked once all was said and done, and all that was left to do was to wait on the adviser to return. Prompto nodded quickly with a small hum. "Ok, if you say so." Everyone now in their designated spots, they awaited the brunet, who showed himself shortly after, new papers in hand.

"Here we are," he announced as he slid into the driver's seat and handed the stack over to Prompto. "Instructions on cleaning the wound, as well as the prescription and schedule dates and locations for your check-ups in Lestallum."

The blond took them in his left hand to flit through them. "Ohhh boy," he sarcastically breathed out, plopping the stack in his lap. He leaned his head against the window to gaze out as the hum of the engine vibrated through his skull. The sensation even traveled through his leg, which was uncomfortable to say the least. This was going to be a long ride, one he wasn't sure if he was ready for or not.


	3. Routine

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting** **and istoleyourcheesecake**

 **Ok, so the antibiotics I'm referring to in this are cephalexin and ciprofloxacin. I read an article where these were used, but it was only for a nick of sorts, but a shark nonetheless. Of course, I don't know if these would be used for a bite of a greater magnitude such as this, so I'm just assuming since it's all I could find. If not, then please let me know, I wanna try to get things as accurate as I can.**

 **And sorry for the wait. XD But, these are gonna be pretty long chapters in this one. ;w;**

* * *

 **twaxer : Ohhhhhh, I think you're about to be cringing a whole lot more in this one. - Thank you a bunch, glad it's causing others pain...in a god way. 3**

 **Bagpipes5K2 : Yessss, the few times I was walking through them, I always found them so unsettling and they just don't feel right to me. Would hate to be on either side myself. I think he would be horrified, especially for someone that had never been in one before, and I doubt he has been. And she would be so willing to help too, but that's only if he's willing to accept that assistance and not be a stunborn little thing~ ;D**

 **Not to mention Lestallum is a pretty major location and I'm sure it has plenty of help around should the need arise. Thank youuuu~ Always appreciate all the love and support. ;w;**

 **MysteriousBean : Ahhhh, thank you so much. D: And you have every right to be worried, because things are about to start going downhill really fast now. :D**

* * *

The weight of the situation hadn't completely dawned on him until the first of the buildings were in sight; then it finally sunk in: this was it. Where he would spend who knows how long, and under the supervision of someone younger than himself on top of that. Prompto had nothing against Iris, it just felt... humiliating, almost as if he were being baby sat, unable to look after or do things for himself, and it did nothing but fuel the burning sense of purposelessness. Slowly, he sank further into his seat, his left hand tightening around the bag of medication in his lap; Ignis had been so kind as to pick those up along the way.

As they pulled in, the blond felt a pit of dread settle in his core, and he wanted nothing more than to just stay right where he was, but that wasn't exactly a viable option. And it clearly wasn't his choice to make, apparently. With a deep sigh, he glanced out the window just as Gladio pulled it open, crutches in his other hand.

"Need any help?" he asked. And, Prompto knew it was out of nothing but kindness, though he couldn't stifle the annoyed roll of his eyes.

"Nah, I got it." A light hiss sounded out at finally being able to stretch out his... leg. Stopping a few feet from the car, he scanned the building up and down, biting his lip at the sight of it. So, this is where he was going to be stuck until he could move around well enough... if he could get back to that.

Noctis was next to him in a mere instant, flicking his twilights over to catch the forlorn shadow on the other's features. "It won't be that bad," he assured, with a solid clap on the back, almost causing Prompto to stumble. "Sorry," he quickly added. "And, it's only for a little bit; we'll be by every week or so," he shrugged. The gunner nodded before pulling away to head inside, not so much as an uttered syllable in response to the raven's words. He stood there at a loss of words as his friend hobbled away, feeling glued to the spot.

"Don't worry about it too much," Gladio called from behind, pulling out a bag of Prompto's belongings form the trunk. "He's got a lot to think about, so try not to take it too personally." Though, seeing the normally spunky personality dwindled down to what it was, it was difficult to swallow. The shield gazed over to the hotel and watched as his sister greeted Prompto, and even from there he could see the lack of enthusiasm.

"I know," Noctis answered, running a hand through his hair and sauntering after him. It was still a bit too much for him to take in as well. "I'll... I'll go make sure he gets settled in," he muttered loud enough for the others to hear.

The shield felt the presence of the adviser as he leaned against the Regalia next to him, his arms already crossed over his chest. "This is for his own good," he sighed, and Gladio got the feeling he was trying to convince himself about this. Pressing a firm thumb against his temple, he pushed himself away to go close the passenger side; his eyes narrowed at the papers and bag that had been left to sit there. "And I'm starting to think it's the best option more and more," he gathered up the things and together the two of them finally made their way to join the others.

"You left these," was the first thing Ignis said to anyone as he placed the papers and bag on the counter in front of the blond. "Do try to keep up with those, they're rather important," he set the other with a warning glare, but tried to keep it a little bit softer than his usual.

"Yeah, I'll try," he fiddled with them a bit before resting his arm back against the surface. He looked back up when he felt the heavy stare still boring into him. "What?" he gave the older man a quizzical look.

Ignis glanced down towards the medicine, "Just be sure to keep up with those."

"I said I got it," he replied, ripping the bag open to scan over the labels. One bottle for pain relief and two others for antibiotics. 'Great,' he thought after reading just how often he'd have to take them, and already he felt a twinge of hopelessness and intimidation. It was only three bottles, but still three more than he was used to.

"Start those first thing tomorrow," he continued, wanting to make sure he understood exactly what he had to do.

Prompto simply nodded as he proceeded to stare at the labels blankly, not really even reading them anymore. All he really saw was the 'four times daily' and the 'two times daily'. Why did they have to be taken that much, and why were they requiring different times? And then there was the pain killers every six hours... how the hell was anyone supposed to keep up with that? He had a headache just thinking about it. "Yeah..." he finally replied, almost forgetting that the brunet had spoken to him.

As satisfied as he was going to be with that reply, Ignis turned to the others, primarily Iris. "I apologize, but we can't stay for very long. We have other matters we must attend to." He gave the blond a sideways glance, before speaking a bit lower, "Just... assist him if he seems like he's having a hard time. He's been, well, rather stubborn."

"My ears still work fine," Prompto raised a hand and turned his head sideways to look over to them. "And, I'm not being stubborn." To completely counteract his point, he pulled himself back up and tucked his things under one arm in order to hobble his way over to the foot of the sitars, where he again froze to stare at them. Chewing on his lip, he glanced back to them, finding them all staring at him, almost silently warning him.

With a knowing look between them, Gladio was the first to respond. "I'll, uh, give you a hand," he briskly strolled over to stand next to the blond. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna carry ya," he assured when he saw the mortified look on the younger's face; he'd been humiliated enough today as it were, he didn't need this to add to his list. Prompto gave him an appreciative nod and tucked both crutches under his left arm while his right gripped the railing for dear life.

"Just take it one step at a time," the shield encouraged.

"Really? I figured I'd just hop right on to the top," he snipped back almost instantly, tossing out a quick 'sorry' after realizing his own tone. The other brushed it off, it was understandable. Taking a deep breath, he glanced up one last time anxiously and finally took the first experimental 'step'. And, with that one stair down, he was already dreading the rest of the trip up.

Ignis looked over to Noctis, mostly because it ate at him to watch this. "Noct, go ahead and bring his things up."

"On it," his voice contained the same solemness the adviser felt. Grabbing the bag off the floor, he made his way up, not even casing a glance in the blond's direction. After all, bounding up like he was, he felt as though it was a bit offensive. Key in hand, he stopped in front of the designated room and unlocked it after a moment to collect himself. The sounds of the others still working their up echoed up to him.

He pushed the door the rest of the way and strolled on in, not sparing another second as he dropped the bag on the foot of the bed. By the time he had finished looking around the place, he heard the steps behind him, as well as breathing that was obviously worn out from that little bit of hiking.

"You should really start working out," Gladio joked with a friendly pat on the upper back.

Nodding slowly, Prompto gave a hum of agreement. "Yeah," he panted, "Good idea." Blowing out a heavy sigh, he closed the gap between himself and the bed and just fell forward to lie on it, crutches falling to the floor when they no longer had someone to hold them up. "I think I'll just... stay here for the next month."

Gazing towards the window, Gladio shrugged. "It is getting late," he commented, watching as one of the street lights switched on below the window. Which meant they'd have to be leaving soon, but he thought it best to leave that part unvoiced. He then cut his attention over to the blond, who so far kept to his word and hadn't moved... not even to pull himself the rest of the way onto the bed or to remove the papers and medication out from under himself.

"Are you comfortable?" the prince asked skeptically, noticing the same things the shield had. Hell, the guy still had his left leg bent slightly to keep the strain off of it.

"Mmm-hmm," he replied, voice muffled from the sheets. He let out an annoyed grunt when a hand was shoved under him to retrieve the items.

"Please be careful with these," Ignis sighed, catching the blond off guard; he hadn't heard him come in. Placing them on the side table, the brunet gazed down at him with an amused expression. "Prom," he started, and from the sound of his tone, he was aware the man was in his serious mode, "We're about to head out. We have a hunt early tomorrow, and it's a little ways out there, so it could be a week before that one is taken care of."

Prompto turned his head enough to gaze at him as he spoke, never once responding to the news. But, he did roll over to his back, wincing in the process and pushed himself to at least sit up on the edge of the bed. "Ignis, it's fine, really," he promised, seeing right through the man. There was no point in trying to ease him into it, he was fully aware of what all this entailed. "You guys should really get going though, it's getting late, and I'm sure you'll wanna make it a good distance before the daemons start coming out."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Noctis reiterated, making sure Prompto met his gaze and nodded. "Try to... take care," he awkwardly added, new to this whole bedside manner stuff.

The blond flicked a small and feeble wave, "Yeah, yeah, I got it." He attempted to show somewhat of a positive smile, but it was nothing but forced and unnatural, only emphasizing the act he was obviously putting on.

"You need anything before we go?" Gladio questioned, his browns knit closely together. He glanced towards the bag on the bed, clearly hinting at helping him unpack.

Following the gaze, Prompto shook his head. "I can handle that."

"Alright, well, if everything is in order," Ignis looked from one to the other, silently asking if they were ready to be on their way. It was starting to get darker rather quickly, and he was hoping to at least get to a haven before night completely shrouded the world. "We're only a call away." The brunet looked back to the papers one last time before giving his goodbye for the time being. Gladio did the same and followed the adviser out, wanting to give Noctis his chance for some privacy, knowing he'd want it.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he blurted out the moment the he heard their footsteps fade out.

The other seemed to think about it for a few seconds. "I-I guess so," he shrugged, "About as alright as I can be." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "I will be though... eventually." Unconsciously, he glared down at his leg, slowly flexing his foot and bending his ankle. The smallest movements caused discomfort, much to his irritation.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Noctis reached to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "I mean, with staying here, and you know"...'Getting left behind.' "Taking it easy until you get back on your feet."

There was a slight pang at his choice of words, but he knew he had good intentions, "Dude, it's cool. Besides, I get to take it easy for a while, no near getting killed for a change." He chuckled lightly and lied on his back to place his hands behind his head, "What more could a guy ask for?"

"Yeah, I guess that does sound pretty nice," he reluctantly concurred. "Try not to get too used to it though." He managed to get somewhat of a joking tone.

"Oh, of course not," Prompto waved a dismissive hand. "Seriously though, it's all good, so go before you end up losing what little day you guys have left." He waved both hands in a shooing motion, "Go on, no point sticking around and standing around like you're lost."

Now it was Noctis' turn to brush him off. "Alright already, if you really want me gone that bad," he teased. "See you... in a week, I guess."

"See ya," Prompto sighed, watching the other until he disappeared as the door clicked shut. Now alone for the first time since this whole thing, he simply stared up at the ceiling, just now getting the chance to really soak it all in. It really was going to be a while before he could join the others again. 'It will just be until you're back on your feet,' Ignis words rang through his head, almost tauntingly. His hand drifted back down to fiddle with the edge of the white material, the sensation of it suddenly feeling far too constricting.

He turned his head to the side to stare down the bag on his nightstand, sitting there mocking him, and he scoffed at it and looked back away. Not even five minutes here and he could feel his sanity slowly failing him; it was far too quiet in here, going for a walk was out of the question, and he didn't even want to consider using the stairs again so soon. Then a humiliating thought hit him: how the hell was he supposed to take a shower. He felt heat burn his cheeks as he thought about the way that would be carried out. Maybe... maybe he could get away with just washing his hair.

As the consideration tempted him, a few taps caused him to jolt and shoot upright. "Yeah?" he called out, his voice a pitch higher than normal.

"Mind if I come in?" He mentally slapped himself, just now realizing how rude he must have seemed to just come up here without a single word to Iris.

"Sure, come on in," he replied, his heart calming down after its small alarm. As the door creaked open, he pulled himself to sit straighter, making sure to pull both legs up as well this time. "What's up?" he asked, keeping an eye on the other as she slipped in. He did rather well in holding an edge of normalcy in his voice.

She greeted him with a smile, as was per usual for her, but he still couldn't chase the feeling of it being nothing more than a show for his sake. "Hey, how are you?" she took a seat next to him on the edge. And he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about her tone that didn't sound quite as forlorn as the others had been.

"Pretty alright... considering," and it wasn't a lie.

"The three of us were planning on going to grab something to eat, and we were wondering if you'd want to join," there was no pressure there, just genuine offering, which was much appreciated.

He dropped his gaze to consider it, and his main problem with it was getting back down to the lobby. "Wait, who else is going?"

"Jared and Talcott, of course," she hopped back up to her feet and straightened her skirt. "It's on us."

"Oh," he blurted, "I couldn't make you guys pay for me." Prompto waved both hands in front of him, firmly trying to deny the proposal. "I can pay for my own, there's no need," he scooted until he was sitting next to her in the same manner. He sighed and glanced down to his discarded crutches. "Alright, I'm in," he leaned over to reach for them, but they were swiftly snatched up right from under his fingertips.

Following after them with his eyes, Prompto found Iris holding them out for him to take. "I knew you'd come around," she released her hold. "Need any help, you know, getting back down?" she flicked her attention in the direction of the stairs.

* * *

Fortunately, he found descending tremendously easier than climbing them, and managed it fair enough on his own, despite a near slip-up half way down. To his relief no-one was around to see, well no-one aside from the few residents hanging around in the lobby. But, he was certain they hadn't seen it. The rest seemed to go by in a blur; they went out, and they were kind enough to choose a place relatively close.

They had their meal, talked a bit, and overall had an average and unusually normal time; it was almost as if everything was fine. Until it was time to head back and reality struck him right back down to the ground. The four of them weren't even a third of the way back before the blond could feel his energy waning; this was absolutely ridiculous. As they drew closer to the hotel, the promise of getting to take a break flooded through him, and he despised it to the very end.

Before he knew it, he was back at the bottom of those damn stairs, each one was staring back, teasing him with their marbled appearance. Shaking his head and doing like he had earlier, he took the first to steps up with ease. Iris didn't ask this time, remembering his determined expression from earlier when she offered then. But, she'd at least stay on stand-by.

Prompto could feel her eyes on his back, and he tried to ignore it, but it was difficult when humiliation was breathing down the back of his neck. "I got this," he called over his shoulder, "Or, I accomplished this 'task' earlier." The last bit was mumbled under his breath; it didn't taste well to refer to something like this as a 'task'.

"Are you sure?" he questioned tentatively, not wanting to leave should he slip or something.

He nodded a bit more enthusiastically than what was needed, coming off as somewhat passive aggressive. "It's stairs... an everyday thing," he sighed. It was embarrassing enough that he struggled with this, but to have someone there to witness it caused him to shudder. Glancing back, he was relieved to find the lobby devoid of life aside from a random resident here and there, but none of them were paying attention. And, he was painfully aware that Iris was still right there, just standing out of view.

It was good enough though; as close as he was gonna get to independence for a while at the very least. Not wanting to drag this out even further, he made his way up, taking his time and pausing on each step to make sure he had his bearings. Only part way up and he was growing frustrated with how slow this was.

Glancing up, he muttered a, 'Only a few more,' and took a moment to catch his breath. Third from the top, he hopped up to the next and felt his heart drop along with his foot as it slipped off the edge. A less than graceful word fled from his lips and he released his hold on his crutches in order to grip the railing with both hands. But, not until he instinctively tried to catch his balance with his bad leg. There was no amount of will that could stifle his short cry as fire surged through the limb.

A few blotches of color played before him, pulsating in time with the throbbing. He was sure his hold on the rail was the only thing keeping him from tumbling down. Then there were other hands, one on his back and the other gripping his wrist. "...ou alright?" the end of the sentence faded in.

"M'good," he nearly squeaked out, afraid to raise his voice beyond that. "M'fine, I-I'm alright," they all rolled out one after another as he continued to focus on not passing out. Slowly, and with the help of the other, he lowered himself until he was sitting down, his head resting back against the grating.

"Take your time, alri-"

"I am taking my time!" he snapped, his eyes closed tightly while he waited for the pain to subside enough to get back up. He cracked one blue open enough to catch the flash of hurt across her face. "I-" his breath caught in his chest, "I'm sorry."

He heard her small exhale, and she instantly had her usually cheerful vibe about her. "Let me know when you're ready, and we'll get you back to your room."

Prompto nodded, and for a little while, they remained how they were; it wasn't until about ten minutes later that he thought he was set to get back up. Taking a breath to ready himself, Iris took hold of one of his arms and she helped him the rest of the way up and to his room. She disappeared for only a moment more to retrieve his discarded items. "Thanks," he mumbled, refusing to make eye contact.

"It's not a problem," she took a few steps back towards the door. "I'm going to head off to bed; you need anything before I go?"

The blond shook his head steadily, "Nah, I'm good to go." He gave her a dismissive wave, honestly just wanting to be alone, nothing against her, but he felt smothered. By the look on her face, it was clear she caught on to what he wished, and with another fleeting wave of her hand, she provided a friendly smile and ducked out, shutting the door behind her.

Overwhelming relief washed over him... alone... finally. No more hovering, no more pity-filled gazes watching him like he couldn't handle things on his own. He leaned forward and placed his face in his hands, parting his fingers enough for his left eye to peer through, and his vision was met with white bandages. And, he wasn't sure what came over him, but all he knew was that he couldn't bear the thought of being a burden for very long.

Prompto glanced at the door and listened intently, satisfied at the lack of commotion coming from the other side. Grabbing his crutches from the wall, he worked his way over and swiftly locked up, giving the handle a quick test before he was completely certain the coast was clear. "Alright, it's not that bad," he told himself lightly, casting one of the crutches aside and holding onto the other. Placing it firmly on the floor, he let his left foot brush over the hard surface. Hesitation gripped at him, and he roughly chased it away.

Gradually, he shifted a small amount of weight over, continuing to do so until waves of stabs and flares coursed through his appendage. The blond whimpered quietly before he leaned back on his good leg, frustrated at his own lack of will. "The sooner, the better," he reminded himself, and tried again, this time putting no thought into it and taking the full step.

As soon as the switch was made, he was back on his good side, taking in quick and shallow breaths as he tried to remain upright. 'Bad idea,' he reached his hand out for anything to support himself on, thankful to feel the wall beneath it. He leaned against it further, panic rushing across his mind when the burning refused to recede. Nausea reared its ugly head and he again had to slide down to the floor to fight it.

That was where he stayed, afraid that making the lightest movement would cause the agony to intensify any more. After a little more time, he was able to stretch his legs out and lean his back against the wall as he glanced up to the bed. Guess it was about time to call it a night. With a sigh, he pulled his closest crutch to him and hefted himself up, careful not to even allow his toes to skim the floor. Once he reached it, he replayed his same actions as earlier and collapsed onto it, and rolled over to his right side. Through his closed lids, he groaned at the light that broke through; he forgot to switch that off. But, he couldn't be bothered with that, he was far too exhausted. He hadn't realized how drained he was until he lied there completely still.

* * *

Prompto awoke with stiffness and discomfort, a small moan sounding out as he turned over to his back, and a wince as he did so. The hope of feeling refreshed this morning after some proper sleep was out the window. Puffing out his breath, he swung his legs over the edge and sat up, trying to wake up a bit more before doing anything. He cast a couple of glances at his bag of prescriptions and pulled it over to dump the contents onto the bed. And he paused, catching sight of something but fear preventing him from looking. But, his curiosity got the better of him, and he glanced across the sheets, red meeting his scrutiny.

"Shit," he muttered, darting his attention down to his bandages to see the same shade tainting the back of them. Swiping the bottles out of the way, he grabbed his bag of belongings and dragged it over; he was fairly certain the things he needed such as dressing and things were in there.

Luckily, that stuff was the first thing he came across, and he pulled it all out. This was one thing he was dreading having to do, but it had to be done; the mere idea of asking someone else to do it hadn't dared to cross his mind. He gathered all that he needed, and used his good leg to scoot both crutches over, now frustrated with himself for having tossed them about before falling asleep.

At least the bathroom wasn't that far for him, only a few yards and he was able to rest himself on the edge of the tub to get to work. Looking at it now, it was soaked through, and he wasn't sure he wanted to look at it. Only problem was, he couldn't very well leave it as it were.

"Let's get it over with," he mouthed, starting to unwrap his leg, cringing every time the soiled part of it stuck to the layer underneath. If he didn't feel sick before, he certainly did now. Blanking out for the majority of the process, he eventually had it all peeled away and dropped in a heap on the tiles. By that time his hands were shaking with the sight of it, almost appearing as though it had never even been cleaned up with all the blood that was smeared over it.

He switched the water on and didn't wait for it to heat up before he put his leg under it as good as he could get it and began rinsing it all off, flinching with the stings it brought forth. Quickly, he finished up, patted it dry as gently as he could, despite the fact that he was staining nearly everything within arm's reach, and cleaned the wound before doing his best to redress it.

It wasn't as well done as what they could do at the hospital, but it seemed good enough for the time being. Releasing a shuddering and heavy breath, he took a look around and swallowed thickly at the mess that would need cleaning up. Crimson decorated the tub and the floor around him; it was utterly grotesque.

That could wait, he had to get out of here; he'd deal with it later... after he took something for the incessant throbs. Prompto worked his way back, mentally slapping himself for having brushed the bottles aside now that he had to round to the other side in order to retrieve them. "Why are you like this?" he complained to himself.

It wasn't until he had the top unscrewed and a couple of the capsules in his hand that he realized he had nothing to take them with. He ran a hand through his hair, knowing this was nothing to be getting this stressed about, but for some reason, it just drove him insane. Dumping the pills right back in their container, he scooped it all back in the bag and got back up. If he was going downstairs, he didn't want to have to come back up for some time.

"Oh, you're up," he jumped, his hold on the door slipping and causing it to slam shut. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Iris apologized.

"What are doing up here?" he asked, a bit defensively.

"Well... my room is down the hall. I was just on my way down to get some shopping done. Need to pick up a few things."

The blond nodded along, not really listening. "Oh," he replied once she was done, or when he assumed her to be finished. Holding up his bag, he cocked his head towards the stairs, "Gotta, uh, get started on these, I guess." His tone gave way to how much he had been loathing this. And, he could see the girl's internal struggle on whether or not to help him get down, so he figured he'd at least spare her the awkwardness. "But, I might need, ya know, a bit of a hand."

That seemed to do the trick, and she seemed to be more than delighted in lending said aid, even if it did strike his dignity a bit more than he would have cared for. There was no denying, however, that the journey down was a fair amount easier when you weren't constantly worried about losing your footing. He uttered his thanks before taking a seat at one of the tables while Iris went to fetch him a glass of water. As she carried this out, he again got his arrangement ready, all placed in one hand and he double-checked to make sure he had everything correct.

"Here," she placed the glass in front of him, and with a sigh, he started to take them one by one until he had them all down. Now, all there was to do was wait until they did their job. And their job they did, perhaps more than enough; he wasn't used to this kind of stuff, that's for sure. Within minutes, he had his head against the table, a miserable sound coming from his prone form.

He glanced up to Iris' concerned expression, so he answered the question before she could ask. "I'll live," he groaned, "They did warn me they might make me feel like garbage, though." Well, those weren't their exact words, but it would have been more accurate if they were.

"Are you fine until I get back?" she asked, sliding out of the seat across from him.

"Yeah, I don't really plan on going anywhere... in fact, I don't think I wanna get up yet." He closed his eyes back and rotated his head until he was face down.

She gave a supportive pat on the back on her way by, "You have my number, so if you think of anything you need while I'm out, don't hesitate." Prompto gave a wave of recognition, and with that, she was gone. Again, giving him the semi-privacy he so craved. As he sat there, he took his phone out, realizing he didn't even know what time it was; barely noon. And, he was sure he was there for at least an hour before checking. He sat back up and stuffed everything into his pockets, balling up the bag and tossing it over into the bin nearby.

Leaning back, he stared out the front entrance, watching a few people as they passed by, going about their day as normal, and he groaned to himself before sinking down a tad. By this point the pain killers or antibiotics, maybe even both, succeeded in making him feel nauseous if nothing else. They sure didn't help very much with the pain, a little bit, but not quite enough.

"This suuuuuuucks," he whined to himself, running a hand over his face, cringing at the griminess he felt. Right, he hasn't been able to bathe since before all this happened, of course he was disgusting. He couldn't fathom what he must have looked like to strangers, probably some filthy weird guy that spent his free time in hotel lobbies. Guess he'd be looking like that for a while.

* * *

What was left of the day carried out much like the previous had, which consisted of doing a whole lot of nothing. Nothing but struggling with the simplest of things and feeling like overall and utter trash from the medication they had him on. But, he followed the instructions, taking them every so often as was labeled on the bottles. Didn't mean he didn't complain about it, though.

Sighing, he glanced back over his sheets when he returned to his room, chewing on his lip with the revelation that he had forgotten to change his bedding that morning. Better late than never, he supposed. Staggering over, he used one arm to fight with the material and slowly yet surely, stripped the mattress of its sheet and tossed it aside. A small swear whispered out at the stain that bled into the actual bed. "You have to be kidding me," he half whined, leaning more heavily against his support.

Feeling exhausted and just done with dealing with it for the time being, Prompto trudged over to the second bed, thankful there was at least a second option. A sound of relief later and he was finally able to get comfortable; again, the thought of changing or bathing for that matter was out of the question. Tomorrow. He closed his eyes as the night breeze filtered in through the window, fulfilling its intended purpose in cooling the room off.

Morning arrived before he had even realized he was dozing off; birds signaled the arrival of the sun and the breeze had departed to be replaced by the early and warming wafts. The blond's hand swiped across his brow to rid it of the sweat that coated it. He peeked through one heavy lid to be almost blinded by the piercing rays that infiltrated through the opening. Groaning, he sat up and dragged his legs over the edge of the bed, flinching at the burning it brought on. Right, he had to be careful about that.

Reluctantly, he glanced over the sheets, moaning again at the colors. It wasn't nearly as much as yesterday, but it was still more than he would have liked to see first thing waking up. Then he couldn't help but wonder about that, was that normal? They sure hadn't mentioned it, and he didn't remember it bleeding that much while he was still in the hospital. Swallowing thickly, he shook the doubt out of his mind. 'You nearly had your leg chewed off, of course there's gonna be blood.'

Prompto pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes, trying to rub away the lingering sleep before he made any move to actually do something about the rising temperature. When he felt a bead roll down the back of his neck was when he decided it was about time to take care of things. Yup, this was looking like the beginning of another 'wonderful' day to him.

And it was; almost a repeat of the previous day, consisting of nothing more than rinsing his wound off again and keeping track of when he'd last taken that godforsaken medicine. He considered skipping out on the pain killers altogether a few times, all they did was cause him nausea, which to him seemed worse than a little extra discomfort sometimes. After taking the second one for that day, he stared at the label and gazed through the orange hue of it. There were still so many left.

By the time night rolled around again, he was seated on the foot of the cleaner bed; the need to do something about the dirtied furniture and material again slipping his mind. Coming up with a half-assed and temporary solution, he snatched one of the towels from the bathroom and draped it over the smaller of the two stains. "Guess this'll do," he muttered before climbing on in.

This quickly became a routine of his: Wake up, rinse his leg off, and carry on through his day like the others. Pretend he was still alright with being stuck here and putting on a cheerful expression for the sake of the others. Sure, he'd go out with them if they asked, played cards one of the nights, or whatever it was they wanted to do. But, it didn't feel like he was really there, simply going through the motions.

On the fourth day, his leg did seem to be burning quite a bit more than usual. Then again, he had tried to take a step again the night before, which of course was another mistake just as the first had been. Exactly like all the other times, he went to the bathroom, getting ready to again clear it of any blood that had littered it. However, he held his breath as he peeled the last of the bandages away, the way they clung to the stitches and the ragged edge of the actual bit elicited a gasp to slip out.

Prompto slowly looked over to it once it was undressed, and to say it looked off wouldn't have been completely accurate. The flesh around it was oddly red, and prodding at it, he hissed at the stinging and flaring pain the small touch caused. In a panic, he turned the water on full force and swung his leg over it. As soon as the heated shower made contact, he found himself gripping the edge of the counter to try and ride through the waves.

Once the primary shock of it died down and the stabbing pulses ebbed, he grabbed one of the wash cloths and began dabbing at it, making sure not to apply too much pressure out of fear. Each touch seemed to irritate it further, the angry red of it protesting against every pat and prod. His mouth was clamped shut as he started re-wrapping it, unintentionally tightening it more than he should have in his haste to just get it covered once more.

Taking deep breaths, he leaned his head into his open palms, momentarily forgetting they still had crimson tainting them. But he didn't care, he just needed a moment to collect himself. "It's fine," he mumbled trying to convince himself, "Just a little irritated." Maybe he had just been shifting too much in his sleep, surely that would be enough to aggravate it.

Calmed down a bit, he got into a standing position and went over to the sink to lean against it. He guessed it was finally time to clean up, he was beginning to look homeless and that was not a look he could pull off. "Let's get it over with."

That was the pivoting point for him, and deep down he knew it, but there also had to be another reason for all this. He'd had wounds before, and they all healed differently. Hell, some of them seemed to get worse before they got better, so this would be no different; it'd work out if given enough time.

By the fifth day, he'd skipped out on a few of his doses, willingly turning his head at the thought, especially after nearly losing his battle with his revoltion the day before. He didn't know which one was causing it, they all seemed to have that labeled as a side effect. So, better safe than sorry. Then it was a few more, and the next day he opted out on the morning ones; he was already saturated with the sensation of feeling ill.

Then, it had been a full week; a whole week of trudging through each day, forcing himself carry on with a sense of regulation. This place was starting to feel more like a prison than a hotel. Prompto felt as though he wasn't allowed to leave this place without some sort of supervision. Seven days of this hell, and of anything, he was positive he was just more miserable than he was the first day. And, why was this room so damn hot?

He cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over his face, cringing at the oiliness of it. Only lifting his head, he cast a quick look down at the towel. "Great," he muttered, that was the last clean one he had. He'd been holding off on getting anything washed, feeling slightly guilty at having caused such a mess to begin with. Blinking heavily a few times, he pulled himself up, stopping instantly at the fire that raged through the limb. "Son of a-" he held his breath until it eased off. The going was slower than usual, but eventually he was sitting up, his feet barely hanging above the floor.

First thing was first, cleaning the wound, the highlight of his day. Pulling his crutches off the wall, he got up, taking a second before he felt ready to move on. And, as much as he hated to admit it, the upset stomach was something he was willing to take right about now. Taking it one pained step at a time, he gradually made it to the bathroom to start his ritual. He peeled away the top layer of gauze and dropped it to the floor. Alright, just one more layer to go.

This one came away a lot slower and a lot more stubbornly, but soon enough it was off and joining the first on the tiles. He didn't even need to look at it to tell there was some swelling; he could feel the tightness of his skin once it was free of its bindings. He'd have to start wrapping it a tad more loosely from now on. Switching on the faucet, he glanced down at last, the redness was still there, albeit a tad streaky looking, but other than that, not much different.

As he rinsed it off, he scanned over it, terror swelling more the longer he gazed at it, slowly finding small differences such as a bruise-looking spot here and there. But, he hadn't remembered bumping it on anything. Perhaps he really was moving too much in his sleep. Patting it with the dampened cloth, Prompto winced and hissed, closing his eyes against the pangs and missing the small amount of yellowish discharge that seeped out.

* * *

 **Oh yeah, so whenever I'm prescribed pain medication for whatever reason, I usually only take them when I'm trying to sleep because they honestly make me feel like shit. Even low dosages, so I'm kinda assuming Prompto would have a low tolerance.**


	4. Bad to Worse

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting** **DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Ok, so this is where things will start to get a bit shaky, and chapters after this are gonna get more than a bit out of my comfort zone because of my lack of experience, so I ask that you excuse my mistakes from now on, since I know I'm gonna make more than a few after this one. ;w;**

* * *

 **twaxer : AND NOW IT'S TIME TO GET WORSE, AND THEN WORSE STILL. :D And thank you as always. ^-^ Hope these next few hit as hard as I want them to. ;D**

 **Weaselandcherry : Yessssss, and the worst thing is, I know people like this, hell, I'm even like this to be honest. But, if I'm told I 100% have to do something, then I'll at least take it seriously. And most of the time I hear about it, it's because people either thought it wasn't that bad, or they were just being dumb. In this case, it's the latter. Oh, and I cover right away in this one why he hasn't gone yet and where the others are. And when they do arrive...they are not the least bit amused to put it lightly. Yeah, the feeling of having someone constantly keep an eye on you does tend to make you feel like you aren't capable, and it kinda hurts in a sense. Ohhhhohohoho, thins are about to get so much worse, worse than I've done yet (Other than kill him.) And thank you so much, hope this one didn't take too long. XD**

 **Bagpipes5K2 : He's, uh, yeah he's messing up big time here in so many ways. Pitiful thing just doesn't know better. And a fever is about to be the least of his worries. ;D Pretty sure it will be the last thing on anyone's mind with what comes soon enough. :D**

 **websky : XD Well, that's good to here, because BOY DO I HAVE A WORLD OF HURT PLANNED FOR THIS ONE. And, as for the recovery process, it's gonna get a bit more depressing... You'll see what I mean next chapter. ;w;**

* * *

Sitting at one of the tables, phone gripped between his hands, Prompto stared down at the screen, waiting for a message or something that would tell them when the others were coming. He felt a little bit like an impatient child, desperately anticipating the moment it would go off, but he didn't care; he was sick of this place and needed to see the others again. "Hurry up," he mumbled, giving the device a small shake.

"Let me know if that works," Iris chuckled lightly, sliding in the seat across from him. She folded her hands on the table's surface and followed his gaze. "Why don't you call?" she suggested after another minute of silence.

His eyes flitted from the phone to her, then back down again. "Nah," he sighed, placing it down, "They're probably busy, don't wanna interrupt or anything." Folding his arms, he lied his head down on them and took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. He instantly jerked back upright when the ringing tone filled the momentary silence. There was no hesitation before he clicked the answer button and had it against his ear. "Hey," he greeted instantly, everything on the outside forgotten.

The other sat there as she listened to the hums and 'uh huhs' leaving the blond, and she couldn't but help share the same grin he did as he spoke. And, like his, hers quickly began to fade off until there was nothing but an empty feeling of upset. After a little longer, he hung up and placed it face down, never looking up to meet her gaze. "So?" she asked after another few seconds.

"They, uh, they won't be making it back today...or tomorrow," he shrugged, trying not to sound disappointed by the news. "Apparently the Regalia is more problematic than I thought. It broke down again, so they have to wait and get that fixed." Again, his face was back down, and this time he showed no signs of lifting it back up. Iris was at a loss of what to do at this point, it seemed to be getting more difficult to stay positive with each passing day.

She let out an exhale of her own and averted her eyes to look at the floor instead, then it hit her. "Hey, you haven't mentioned it...but, when is your next appointment supposed to be."

"What day is it?" he asked absentmindedly.

"Friday," the answer came in the next second, and she noticed the small, but definite, jolt that ran through him.

The blond bit his lip as he stared wide-eyed off to the side, directly at the wall. "Well, it was yesterday," he spoke quietly, almost mumbling. He didn't dare cut his eyes over, expecting to find an expression of disbelief or even frustration. And, rightfully so. "But," he continued before she had the chance to speak, "I think I have another next week. I think, but it's fine."

"Prompto…" she spoke softly, the word alone speaking volumes of her discontent with that tidbit of information. There wasn't any more said than that, but that's all he needed to hear for it to sink in.

"I know, I know," he waved a hand, "I promise, I won't miss the next one, alright?" Her lips were tight, and the sight of it reminded him a bit too much of the big guy. "Just...don't mention it to the others, please. I don't wanna hear it from them as well. I already know I messed up," he half groaned, finally sitting back up. Clearing his throat, which felt a bit too dry for his liking, he leaned back in his seat.

More than once, while they were seated in relative quiet, his eyes glanced over towards the stairs, clearly due to some weight bearing down on him. Iris narrowed her eyes as she watched, but for the time being decided it was best not to comment on it. Though, the look in his blues didn't sit well, and against her better judgement, she couldn't withhold her concern. "Is something bothering you?" she finally uttered.

The minor inquiry caught him off guard, and he swallowed hard as his mind worked in overtime trying to piece something together. "It's nothing," he replied far too quickly.

"I'm sure it is," her voice dripped with incredulousness. "Then I assume you're just admiring the architecture of this place." Iris leaned back and folded her arms, a smirk sliding into her expression.

Prompto couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Anyone ever tell you how much you sound like Gladio?" he raised an eyebrow at her. He earned himself an amused snort with that comment along with a light punch to his upper arm over the table. "Hey," he dramatically whined and feigned hurt as he rubbed the area.

"Seriously though, what is it?" she pressed, refusing to drop the subject, no matter what ruse he tossed out. She ignored the way he subtly squirmed under her scrutiny and the way his eyes shifted around in a desperate attempt at finding something else to focus on. "Prompto," for once her tone was serious, and it yanked him from his avoiding ways. "Just tell me. Don't make me call my brother," she already had her phone out and ready for dialing.

Both his hands went up in front of him in protest, "N-no need for that." Slowly, she lowered it back down when it looked as though he might crack at any moment. "It's just...it's kind of embarrassing, and well, not that easy for me to just say." His thumbs ran circles around one another out of nervous habit, slowly picking up speed over the seconds.

"Come on, get on with it," she leaned over, elbows on the table.

"Right, I'll get to it," he assured, voice slightly higher than normal as he continued to bide time. Prompto took a deep breath, and his discomfort was almost physical. "I just might need a few things washed…" he dropped his stare down to his hands.

"That's it?" she deadpanned, a little confused as to why anyone would be so reluctant with something so simple.

He shrugged, signaling her that there was obviously more to it. "It's more than just the sheets," he muttered, the words clumsily flowing out, almost an abstract jumbled form of what he was going for. "And, by that, I mean the…" he paused for a second. "Mattress," he coughed out and again looked away, his face heating up from the humiliation of saying it out loud.

To his relief, she didn't say anything sarcastic or a single word remotely smart about that. "That's not a big deal," she spoke casually, "All you had to do was let someone know, they can easily switch them out or move you to another room." Despite getting that bit of mortification off his chest, it didn't make him any less anxious about the whole thing; after all, someone would still have to see it and clean it, and that wasn't something he could exactly hide from others.

Slowly, he nodded, "I suppose," he agreed with a partial shrug.

"If you want, I can go let someone know," she offered with a jab of her thumb off to the side.

"Wait!" he reached a hand as he blurted out. "Wait until I can at least get my things together and at least clean up a little." His heart raced as he waited for her response and hoped she would at least give him that.

"If you insist," she spoke slowly while he struggled his way back into a standing position, noticing how he seemed to favor his left leg quite a bit more than usual. "You want help getting back up there?" her eyes glanced towards the stairs. And, to her surprise, he complied, rather quickly at that. "Alright, just let me know when you're ready." She stood close by, and continued to stick by his side, even before reaching the bottom of them.

Just like the other times, they took them one step at a time until they reached the top where she remained next to him while he caught his breath and took a few seconds to collect himself. Once he gave his ok, they traveled the rest of the distance and he paused right outside his door and shot Iris a pleading and knowing look. "Ok, so I guess I'll let you know when I get it ready," he hinted, looking for that first gesture that indicated she would be on her way. But, it never came, so they were left standing awkwardly for a little longer. "You can go now," he waved a hand, trying not to sound too demanding.

"I don't mind helping out a bit," she stubbornly stood where she was, refusing to take the clues he was providing. "Come on, I really don't mind."

"I'd really rather you not," he sidestepped to stand directly between her and the door. "Promise, it's not a lot, I can handle it just fine on my own," he laughed nervously, backing up until his back was almost against the wood. "But, if there's anything I don't think I can take care of, I swear I won't hesitate to call you." His shoulders tensed as he awaited her reply, silently praying she'd accept that; it was clear he wasn't going to willingly back down on this one.

Iris's face adopted an appearance of dubiousness, but she took a step back, her eyebrows knitted together. "If you say so," she said softly, giving him a small wave. "I'll just be in the lobby, so just shoot a message."

The gunner gave a quick wave before unlocking his door and slipping in before closing and locking it right away. As soon as he was left to himself, he leaned against the door and closed his eyes to relish in the privacy. "Ok," he breathed out, glancing from one mess to another, trying to decide which should be taken care of first. Then they landed on the soiled towels; those would definitely have to be rinsed out as thoroughly as possible.

Hobbling around and gathering one article at a time, he soon had a pile on the bathroom floor stacked next to the sink. This was going to be rather difficult with one hand… But, working gradually and tediously, he soon had one of them mostly washed, only rusty stains left behind, which to him looked a lot less disturbing than it previously had. It may have taken about an hour, but at least it no longer looked as though a murder took place.

Next, he folded and stacked them neatly, deciding to take a seat on the edge of the tub for this part. It was difficult and grueling, but he managed to get the most pristine section of the top one on the outside so it looked mostly alright. And, the sheets would be taken care of in much the same manner; the only one he wouldn't have anyway of obscuring was the mattress. Hopefully, he'd be able to avoid that awkward discussion though.

After another hour, all that he was capable of taking care of was finally in order, and aside from that one painful reminder, things appeared normal enough. He guessed it was time to let Iris know he was ready, but not before he took another moment to collect himself; once all was said and done, his leg throbbed agonizingly, and his head had irritating pulses rummaging his brain. Prompto took a seat on one of the untainted parts of the cleaner bed and lied back, trying to will the pains to just leave him alone.

A knock on the door ripped him from his needed peace, and he grumbled to himself as they continued and increased in intensity when he didn't instantly reply to it. "M'coming," he called out groggily, prying his eyes open. Once he got them open wide enough, he was dropped unceremoniously into disorientation. It was completely dark in here, and he uttered a swear realizing he had fallen asleep.

"Prompto? Is everything alright?" he immediately recognized Iris' voice.

"Yeah," he answered as loudly as he could considering he had just woken up and things were still catching up with him. "Give...give me a moment," his voice was a tad hoarse, but it sounded like it was loud enough to be heard, and it must have been with the way the incessant knocking had ceased. But, somehow, he could still feel her presence outside.

With a drawn out groan, he pushed himself to sit up. Another distressed moan escaped as he leaned his body against the headboard; the nausea that struck was more than unexpected, his breaths coming out in quick huffs as he tried to fight the urge to lose the internal battle. One shuddering exhale later, and he was getting his control back; his right hand had already drifted to his head without him meaning to.

Ignoring the lingering ill feeling, he forced himself up and made his way to the door, hesitating for a second before pulling it open. "Hey," he greeted, squinting his eyes as the light from the hall nearly blinded him, "What's up?"

"It's been a few hours and I-" she paused suddenly as she took in his appearance. "Prom, are you feeling alright?"

He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before replying, "Y-yeah, I'm good. I just woke up, so kinda tired." He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it was tight and obviously not genuine. "Give me a moment to really wake up," he murmured, leaning sluggishly against the frame. With a few heavy blinks and a yawn, he waved a hand in a gesture of readiness.

"I'll just grab your things if you don't mind," she insisted, making to head in, only for Prompto to block her off with one of his crutches.

"No need for that," he blurted, lowering it right back down and tried to play it off, "I can bring them to the hall, and you can get them from there...if you want."

She shifted her weight over to one side, "Why are you acting so weird about this?" she asked, getting right to the point in the most blunt fashion possible. "Why do you keep brushing things off like this? If something's up, then you need to say it." She still held her usual kindness, but there was an edge of impatience starting to shine through.

"Because I like to have at least a small sense of independence," he said it a bit more harshly than he intended, and more so defensively than necessary. "It's nothing personal," he followed up with a softer tone, "It's me, I'm frustrated is all." Which wasn't a lie, and she seemed to accept that answer.

Her mouth formed into a sideways smile, "Alright, I'll wait out here for you then." He nodded and disappeared back inside, deciding to leave the door open this time since the beds weren't clear to see from that angle. She kept a wary sight on him as he dropped the bag next to her, informing that everything he currently had on him was inside.

"If you want, you're free to take the extra bed in my room until they get this one cleaned up or you can get a new one." It was merely a suggestion, nothing more than that, trying not to make him feel obliged or pressured into agreeing with the proposition.

"Thanks, but I think I'd rather have my own...no offense," Prompto sheepishly chewed on the inside of his cheek. To his surprise, she didn't really react to the decline of the offer.

Hefting up his bag with a small groan, she brushed it off, "It's fine, I understand. Whichever is more comfortable for you." She slung the bag over her shoulder and began heading down the hall, "But, your things can at least stay there for the time being, can't leave it in the hall, and hauling it around everywhere might look a bit strange." The way she was clearly struggling with his things did nothing but burden his guilt further, and if he could carry it himself, he'd gladly jump up to the task.

He uttered another word of appreciation and followed her along; it wouldn't hurt him to stay in there for at least a bit until things could get situated. Placing his stuff down at the foot of the bed, she held the door open for him to enter with ease, much to his unspoken annoyance. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement though and headed straight to one of the chairs near the window. The sigh that left him as he dropped down was unsolicited, but it was also impossible to stifle; everything just felt drained and sore.

He hummed to himself and sunk deeper into the welcoming cushion, and it wasn't long before he felt those familiar tugs of sleep tempting him once again. And, he honestly wouldn't mind taking a nap right about now; after that journey down the hall, he figured he deserved at least a short one.

And, he must have given in again because the next thing he knew someone was shaking his shoulder. Out of instinct, he swatted at the offending touch, but it didn't let up in the slightest. "Prompto," he heard, hushed and appealing. He gave a small noise to let them know he heard them. "They got you a new room ready, and I assume a bed would be a lot more inviting than some chair."

The word 'bed' assisted in luring his mind back to lucidity. "Yeah," he agreed, hands going to his eyes to massage the remaining slumber from them. "M'gettin' up," he slurred with a yawn. With Iris' help, he unsteadily got up, taking about half a minute until he was certain he was stable enough to be on his way. She had no opposition against standing with a supporting hand until he felt ready enough. Just like earlier, she lead the way with his things in hand while he trailed close behind. She went as far as to unlock it and lead him inside, asking him more than once if he was sure he had everything situated before finally taking her leave and again leaving him in the lonesome he craved more and more these days.

He was too exhausted to worry about taking care of his wound tonight, he just wanted sleep, and it's not like he wouldn't see to it in the morning. It was just one night, and he was fairly certain a few more hours wouldn't hurt. But, before lying down, he did take a precaution and draped a fresh towel on the bed. It wasn't bleeding nearly as much as it did that first night, but he didn't want to take any chances with it.

As soon as that preparation was done, there was no more delay before he gladly plopped down, being careful not to jostle his leg too much in the process. It probably couldn't have been any later than ten at night, but it felt like it was at least midnight. His body undoubtedly agreed with his mind as it took the first step into the gates of dreamland; the brain never getting the opportunity to give permission.

* * *

If it were possible, he somehow felt more tired waking up than he had before dozing off. His eyes pleaded to just stay closed for at least a month, and his body gave no indication that it was willing to move any time soon. Still, there had to be some sort of effort put into it, no way he could get away with staying in bed all day. He shifted subtly, trying to roll onto his back, but the moment his leg was disturbed, fresh currents of torment tore through it. His teeth sunk into his lower lip to prevent himself from crying out; instead, a muffled gasp replaced it.

Prompto awaited eagerly for the pain to subside long enough for him to draw in a breath without running the risk of vocalizing his misery. Mostly because he had no idea what time it was and therefore didn't know if people were still sleeping in the room next door. The last thing he needed was testy neighbors banging on his door to complain.

To his relief, if he were to stay still enough and block the burning and throbs well enough, it was almost as if there was nothing to feel. Nothing aside from the unyielding tightness he felt in it. With no alleviation within grasp, he settled on solely attempting to ride it out in suffering stillness, which worked well enough for the time being.

'Can't stay like this,' he thought to himself, wanting to roll his eyes at the way he almost imagined the words coming from the adviser himself. Although not currently present, his pestering tendencies found a way to itch at the back of his thoughts. Of course, if Ignis were here, it's not like he'd have any quarrels against it...not that he would admit it outwardly.

He'd have to bear through it, there was nothing else to it. Gritting his teeth, he gradually guided his legs to hang over the side of the bed, small gasps and hisses breaking through the barricade throughout the process. Prompto was left heavily breathing for a few more moments and then dared to touch his crutches and get himself up to carry out his morning ceremonies. Before beginning the arduous trek to the restroom, he spared a glance at the bed, satisfied to find only a few speckles of blood. Not nearly enough to have gone through to the sheets.

Shuffling into the other room, he scooped up the things he needed: antiseptic, bandages and the like. Deciding fully washing his leg off wasn't necessary this time around with how little it bled. Painstakingly, he removed the bandages, biting his tongue when they tugged stubbornly. However, they eventually came away and he tossed them over in the trash.

With the wound exposed, he looked it over, finding it in much the same condition as the day before, albeit a bit more bruised looking and more swollen. At this point, he wanted to hurry up, get it cleaned up, and get it covered again. The appearance of it wasn't helping his nausea in the slightest. Grabbing the bottle, he uncapped it and went straight to pouring the liquid down his leg, the container almost slipping from his grasp at the scorching tendrils that branched out. His leg automatically bucked in an attempt to get away from the concoction.

Whines pushed their way passed pressed lips as he rode through the worst of it. Taking far longer than he would have predicted, the throbs dulled into barely tolerable pulses of pure fire. He sat the antiseptic aside and exchanged it for some fresh bandages to hurry up and get it covered again.

"Alright, that wasn't...so bad," he panted to himself as he wrapped the material around snuggly, jerking with each rotation. Could have been a lot worse, 'not much though,' he offhandedly told himself.

He continued to sit there for a moment, wanting a moment to himself now that the worst part of his day was done and over with. The time ticked on, and once so many had clicked by, the moment that was supposed to be relaxing and peaceful had transitioned into boring and plain tedious. Something about spending an extended period of time in a closed area such as this seemed to poke and prod at his sanity. To say he was a fan would be like saying Gladio wasn't intimidating.

Maybe Iris was right, maybe he really did need to get out more, but merely traveling a few yards was enough to sap him of any energy he had. So the thought of walking the town felt like leagues out of his current ability. Guess it wouldn't hurt just to sit outside if nothing else. It had been a good while since he'd gotten proper sunlight. Speaking of, his camera had been basically collecting dust over this last week. He could even get some shots of the immediate area. Sure, it'd probably get old pretty quickly, but it'd be a good time waster for at least a day.

Mind now made up, he pushed aside all thoughts and concerns and tossed all his things in his bag. And, although it was rather difficult, he was able to lower himself just enough to fish around for his camera.

He sat on the bed to free up both hands to flip it on, and the familiarity of holding it brought a smile to his face. "Promise, I haven't forgotten about ya," he spoke fondly to it, wondering if he hadn't already lost it a while ago. He was just thankful no one was around to hear him talking to an inanimate object. Shaking his head, he draped the strap around his neck to lift his spirits, finally a bit of something to look forward to since he's been here.

The only issue: He needed aid in getting downstairs again, and he would do it himself, but after that one incident, he turned his nose up at giving that experience another shot. Well, time to get his 'caretaker' to lend another hand.

There was no surprise when she was more than willing to help out, and together they made it to the bottom. She also cared enough to go as far as to accompany him out the door and all the way to the fountain out front until it was clear he'd have no further issues. "Mind if I stick around for a bit; it is actually pretty nice out here," she asked as she scanned the sky, waiting for his approval. The fact that she had to do that made him realize how he'd been acting and the heat rose.

"Yeah, of course. You don't have to ask, not like I own the place," he laughed anxiously as she took a seat a few feet away. "Hey, Iris," he glanced over after a few shots of the hotel.

She indicated that she was paying attention with a soft hum.

This wasn't going to be easy, it should be, but for some reason he was having a hard time formulating the words in his head. "I think I should probably apologize...for you know," he trailed off, his heart racing.

"For what?" she questioned, and he couldn't tell if this was just her trying to be nice and make him feel better, or if she really had no clue what he was talking about. Unfortunately, the look on her face didn't provide him with any clues as to which it was, so he just played along with it for now.

The blond took a deep breath and released it slowly. "For...being rude, I guess," he kept his voice hushed, his shame plain in his tone. "I shouldn't have been so, what's the word...stand-offish? Jerkish? Uh, maybe stupid would be a more accurate choi-"

"Prompto," she effectively cut him off in that calm and friendly voice of hers, "It's really alright."

"No, it's not," he countered without reluctance. "You've only been trying to help, and all I've done is try to drive you away," he looked down to his feet, the movement causing things to swirl a minor amount. It wasn't too dazing, so he was able to push it aside. "And, I'm sorry, I'll try to be better about that from now on." He placed his camera next to him and leaned forward on his elbows.

To his astonishment, he heard subtle chuckling coming from her direction. "What?" he asked, his demeanor completely changing, "Did I say something too weird?"

"No, it's not that," Iris promised. "I just don't think you really have anything to apologize for," she shrugged.

"Are you delusional?" he spoke without thinking, and instantly chastised himself for it.

Shaking her head, she let out a second reserved laugh. "Of course not. Look, I can't begin to understand what you went through, so it wouldn't be surprising if you were to have some lingering...emotions from it." He grew quiet as she went on, "Don't worry about, I'm not taking any of it to heart."

Well, that sure was a load off his shoulders, doesn't mean he didn't regret any of it, but it was no longer eating a hole through his conscience. "Still, I wanna back it up, eventually." The rest of their time was spent in idle yet comfortable conversation until evening started to quickly approach, and it was needless to say that the day had gone by pretty damn fast.

"I think we should probably grab something to eat," Iris suggested, realized neither of them had really had anything, not since breakfast anyway. Or she hadn't.

"Sounds good to me," he wasn't feeling too hungry, but this would be a start in making it up to her, so he was willing to force himself to tag along.

* * *

He lay there on his back and stared up at the ceiling while the night went on. The seconds, minutes, then finally hours fluttering by. Prompto took a deep breath to counter the disgust he felt gnawing deep down. The whole eating thing was really starting to feel like a mistake after all, and perhaps the entire spur of the moment decision hadn't been such a wise one in hindsight. Groaning, he turned only his head to the side, anything else would have sent either pain or nausea through him, so this was the safest bet.

And dammit it was so stuffy in that room, why were the rooms so stale and restricting? Gripping the cover, he ripped it away from his form and tossed it onto the floor. It didn't do much to alleviate the suffocation, but it was definitely more breathable. Regardless, it still didn't make a difference overall; he was still uncomfortable, and still unable to get a grasp on the hope of falling asleep anytime soon. Opening his eyes, he cut them over to the table where his phone was, his fingers twitched with the urge to grab it and text Noct or something. Though, he decided against it; they were busy and had other things to worry about right now They didn't need him distracting them.

Grumbling something under his breath, mostly complaints, he tossed an arm to drape over his eyes, hoping deep down that having that ward over him would help with his minor struggles. He knew the idea was stupid before he did it, so he wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen.

"Come on," he whined out loud, but still kept his voice to a minimum and slung his limb back to the side. Maybe if he didn't put any thought into it, then it'd come a lot easier; kind of hard to shove it aside when there were constant reminders though. He sure was exhausted enough, so that wasn't the problem. In the end, he chalked it up as just plain being too hot. Coming to that conclusion, he knew what he had to do, and he groaned again realizing it meant that he would have to get up.

Once he went through another internal argument with himself as to whether it was worth it or not, he finally worked up the motivation to begin moving, which started off with just a simple scooting over to the edge. He held his breath until the sick sensation and throbs dulled enough for him to sit up, and again, he had to wait. What should have taken a few seconds turned into about five minutes. And, after the effort it took, he thought about curling back up and forgetting about the entire thing.

Ultimately, he was able to make it over and soon enough had the window cracked open, and the immediate breeze that thanked him for the invitation was all the reward he needed for the exertion. For a while, he stood there and relished in the crisp flow, leaning heavily against his crutches as he did so. At least he knew that getting into bed was a hell of a lot easier than getting out of it, so there was no worrying about that part of things.

Eyelids now growing weighted, he turned himself around and trudged right back to the comfort of his bed, and slowly, settled himself back on it. There was still that burrowing ill sensation, luckily it was appeased for the time being and allowed him the luxury of sinking further out of lucidity.

He was almost one hundred percent positive that every morning was becoming more of a dreadful chore than anything. His body felt cumbersome, and his energy seemed to miss the memo that it was no longer night. This was the omen he needed to tell him exactly how this day would go, which was the same as any other, only more draining and laborious. Prompto hadn't even gotten up yet, and somehow he accomplished to work up a sweat. Waking up was enough of a workout apparently, this had to be some sort of record. To put things lightly, he felt like shit; he didn't want to leave the comfort of his bed, then again, he didn't see why he would have to. There wasn't anything he had to get to, literally his only task was to take it easy, so why not do just that?

He swiped the back of his hand over his forehead and cringed at the griminess; it was about time he washed up again, at least his face and hair if nothing else...and it wouldn't hurt to actually change his clothes. "Later," he mumbled, turning his head to the side and burying his face into his pillow. His leg sent him warning signs to stop moving so much. "I gettit," he groaned, muscles tensing up slightly with the flames.

It was unknown to him how long he remained this way, but the knock on his door told him it had been long enough. "Huh?" he called out, not bothering to form actual words. There was a reply, the door sifting the words and only permitting fragments to pass through. "What?" he asked, not catching a word of it. This time, he caught onto the words 'everything' and 'alright'. "Yeah," he answered, hoping he replied with the correct response. It must have been good enough because nothing else was said after that.

With the disturbance gone, he closed his eyes again, without the intention of opening them back up for a while. The longer he laid there, the more he focused on things, and the more he noticed how much everything seemed to burn. Like his skin was really on fire, and it all seemed to radiate from his leg.

There wasn't a lot of time for him to concern himself with it though, his body had other plans for him, and it made it clear that more rest was its priority right now. It didn't allow him another minute of thought as it pulled on him and begged him to go back to sleep. Just a couple more hours.

And, a couple hours it was...and a few more, enough so that when he finally came to again, the light outside was dimmed quite a bit. Blinking the confusion out of his blues, he glanced around the room as he tried to round up his senses. His scrutiny landed on the subtle blinking coming from the table. His phone flashing a spec of light to indicate the missed notifications.

Groggily, and shakily, he reached for it and pulled it over, his eyes narrowing as he read the name: Iris. Why didn't she just knock? There was no need to call or send messages when they were literally down the hall from one another. Bewilderment plaguing his mind, he checked the message, 'Are you sure you're alright? You didn't answer when I came back.' Then the next, 'Prompto, you have to come out sooner or later.' And then there was the last one, 'If I don't hear from you in the next hour, I'm alerting the front desk.' At that one, he jolted upright, his head instantly spinning with the abrupt action.

'I'm awake,' he sent back, hoping he hit the right keys as they were still a bit out of focus. 'There's no need...I was just tired.' He sighed and dropped the device onto his lap, his hands instead reaching to rub down his face; Prompto had no idea it was possible to feel worse after a good sleep. His phone buzzed, startling him for a second.

Huffing a breath out, he checked it: 'Are you sure? You've been sleeping all day.'

'Yeah...I think things are just catching up,' he clicked it back off and dropped back against the mattress. Despite all the resting he got done, he still felt utterly depleted, like he hadn't slept a wink in the last week. One more night, only one more, and hopefully he'd be feeling better by morning; and, in his half-awake state, he failed to notice his phone going off again...and then a second time.

Morning rolled around once again, and Iris never got a reply back again; the majority of the night was spent lying there in silence, phone in hand as she patiently waited for something that would never come. She should have just went and knocked again, or gotten someone else to let her in, but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries. And, who knows, maybe it was as he said, and he just needed some extra sleep; it did make sense. But, now that the hours of worrying were over, she sat at one of the tables, phone still held expectantly in her hands.

She gripped it tighter, on the verge of sending another message or calling for the fifth time when a heavy and solid hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped at the touch and whipped her head towards its source.

"G-Gladdy?" she stammered, shocked that it was really him. "You didn't say you'd be back."

He shrugged as the others stepped up behind him, Noctis yawning and stretching his arms behind him. "Eh, thought we'd drop in...you know, a bit of a surprise," he sounded more than a little proud of this idea, so she could only assume it was his.

Ignis was the first to glance around and clear his throat. "Where's Prompto?" he asked, getting straight to the point and casting aside any needless chit chat. His chest tightened uncomfortably when she didn't reply right away and slowly just looked up towards the balcony overhanging the lobby.

"I-I think he's asleep," she replied, but sounded eerily unsure of herself. "He told me he was really tired, and he did sleep all day yesterday…" she trailed off, the look on the adviser's face ringing alarms off in her ears. She messed up, she knew it, she should have stepped in, regardless of what the blond wanted. "Wha-" she went to question, but the brunet brushed by her in a haste, everything else moving to the backburner as he rushed up the stairs. He could hear the others close behind.

And the prince was fully awake the moment he saw the panic in Ignis' movements. "Specs, what's going on?" he asked, bounding up the steps after him. "It would make sense that he's tired, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is," he started without slowing down, "it's been nearly two weeks, and I'm sorry to say, but sleeping all day isn't what I would call an improvement." Not a moment later and he was banging on the door, not caring that he was causing a fair amount of noise.

As he went in for another knock, the door suddenly swung open with a fierce speed, a more than upset face peering through the opening. "Can I help you?" the scrawny looking man nearly spat, leaving the adviser embarrassed as for once he was rendered speechless.

"I-uh, I apologize, I seem to have gotten the wrong room," he bowed his head slightly only to receive an infuriated mutter and the slam of the door, which caused him to take a step back or risk breaking his nose.

"I should have mentioned, but he's in a different room now," Iris slowly walked up, oddly avoiding eye contact with any of them. "Here, it's this way," she slipped by and quickly lead them a few doors down and stopped in front of his current room. Ignis nodded his thanks, and again, began pounding on the wooden surface.

"Prompto!" he shouted through it, not pausing between his knocks. "Let me in!" now was when he decided to take a moment to listen for any movement. Nothing. Pure stillness met his awaiting ears. "Dammit," he swore under his breath, not caring to attempt to hide his concern any more. "Gladio, I don't care what you have to do, but get us in there." he stepped back to allow room for the brute to do his work.

He did give the adviser a questioning look before he tried anything, just to see if he was sure of what he said; there was not an inkling of uncertainty in the man's face. He gave the other a nod and gave the knob a few test turns and shoves before resorting to anything drastic. With zero give, he didn't wait another moment and began ramming his shoulder against it, increasing in strength until those first few creaks sounded out. Only a few more, and the door was finally forced enough for them to enter.

Thinking back, it probably wouldn't have been that much of an ordeal to get in with other means, such as getting another key to the room, but none of them were thinking in their panic. The moment it was open though, Ignis again rushed by everyone and went directly to the prone figure on the bed and crouched down next to him. The first thing he did was cup his face and turn his head until he was looking at him.

"Prom?" he tapped his cheek a couple times with his free hand and earned himself a small groan from the blond, "Can you hear me?" His face scrunched up in unwavering discomfort, and the brunet scowled at the insane amount of heat he felt waving off his skin.

The gunner's eyes flitted for a moment, but never fully opened, but he did hum as a response. And, they supposed that was better than nothing, but still far from reassuring. He was about to tap his face again when his eyes caught something out of the corner of it, and the bottle of antibiotics had his full attention. There was no need to investigate further to figure out there were far too many left in there; over half to be exact.

"You damn fool," he grit out, moving his observation down to the bandaged leg instead. With frantic haste, he started unraveling, dropping the gauze to the floor until the last of it flowed down. He felt repulsed, and swallowed thickly as he gazed stunned at the wound. This was bad. "Noct," he uttered more shakily than was normal for the man, "Call an ambulance."

* * *

 **Annnndddddddd, hope people are ready for the shit storm.**


	5. Blame

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting, istoleyourcheesecake, and** **DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Again, I barely know what I'm talking about, everything I researched to the best of my ability and got second opinions. (Mostly from** **DragonRiderSayomi. Neither of us are experts, and she's the closest to this kind of stuff that I know. But, let me say, this would be a mess most likely without her help.)**

 **I do have a tumblr if anyone wishes to correct any of my medical faults.**

 **If I don't update for a while, just know the hurricanes knocked the power out. lol Happened with Mathew last year, and these being worse, I can almost promise it'll go out again. So, if I disappear, that's why.**

* * *

 **Bagpipes5K2 : Yesss, Iris is probably the most kind character in the whole game, and she deserves so much appreciation. ;A; Ohhhh, all of that stuff gets covered in the next chapter, the blaming, the reasoning and explanations, and of course what all was wrong with him. ;D This is also the first time I've even tried with the real and normal stuff to this degree, so really hoping I'm doing a decent enough job of this. XD But from here in is going to be so challenging for me. ;w;**

 **Weaselandcherry : Well...things are gonna get way more intense. XD Hope you're ready. Ignis is basically the calm before the storm I feel like, he's doing a pretty decent job in this one at holding it together. lol Yessssss, exactly, and I can back that up; you swiftly loose motivation to do the things you want to, and it's not laziness or lack of responsibility, so the person can't solely be to blame. Then you just don't realize it's an endless loop until it's too late. Uhhhhhh, about the hospital visit, I'll just let you see the consequences. - Omg yes, and the constant blaming herself, thinking she should have been more strict, but at the same time wanting to provide him with his independence, and it's such a hard balance between the two. D: Let me tall you, I have plans for Gladio, and it's not gonna be a fun time. He will be who he is, and that's all I'll say. And glad you're ready for this one, because this is the one I am most excited for. :D**

 **MysteriousBean : I think you'll need a little more than that. ;w; I'll send a rescue team out for you.**

 **websky : And it's not even at it's worse yet, even after this one, it will continue to plummet. Allllll the way dooowwwwwnnnnn. And I am ready for every moment. :D**

 **twaxer : HNNNNNNNNG, I HOPE YOU REALLY ARE READY FR THIS THEN, BECAUSE THIS IS BAD AND I AM ALMOST SCARED, BUT SO READY FOR REACTIONS. Prompto is a mess, Iris is a mess, Noctis, Gladio and Ignis are messes. I'M A MESSSSSS. XD Hopefully I still won't make too many. I have a few sources at least for info and first-hand experience, so fingers crossed.**

 **TheSleepingSloth : Well, I hope your body is prepared, because this is something I have been debating for a while now, and finally decided to JUST DO GO FOR IT! Iris...yeah, she's a little more than blaming herself right now. ;w; And THANK YOU! ;A; Honestly beyond flattered to hear that. ;/; Hope I won't let ya down in this one then. XD**

* * *

This place, this scene, this entire experience was too familiar to him; he was reliving a nightmare that he wished to forget about. Noctis felt light-headed, in a sense that none of this was real, and he prayed to each and every Astral that he'd just wake up. His face dropped into his hands, desperate to block out those mocking white and pristine aesthetics; they were doing nothing but giving him a headache.

The chitter-chatter of the other residents occupying the room was also starting to pester his wavering patience, and he had to tell himself none of this was their fault. They had nothing to do with any of this. Nails dug into his scalp as a coping mechanism to keep his own gnawing issues to himself. But, it was hardly felt; in fact, he hadn't realized what he had been doing until he felt a firm and supportive hand clasp around his right wrist.

"Noct," slender fingers slowly let up once he loosened his own. "Try to calm down." He peeked out from under his hands and met that penetrating green gaze, and he let out a bitter scoff at the sight of it.

"We shouldn't have left him there," the raven replied, ignoring the man's suggestion. "We know him too well, we should have known something like this would happen." With the speed that the adviser could not have foreseen, Noctis slammed his hands onto his lap and leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "Dammit, Ignis, why did we think that was the right thing, when it clearly fucking wasn't!"

The raven was unaware of it, but the other caught the various glances and sideways looks they were being subjected to from that outburst. "Keep your voice down," he warned, offering an apologetic wave to the ones still gaping in their direction.

The prince took a deep and trembling breath, clearly struggling to keep his fracturing composure from cracking completely. "You saw it," he mumbled, unable to get the image out of his head, the sight of that leg haunting his conscious since he caught a glimpse of it. "I need fresh air," he pushed himself up and held out a hand for the other to stay when he saw him move to follow. "Alone," he added before hastily walking off.

Ignis breathed out heavily through his nose as his lips tightened and his hands crossed in his lap. As a distraction, albeit a poor one, he retrieved his phone to gaze down at the time and watched it as the minutes ticked by. So engrossed as he was in his trivial task, he jolted in a way that was abnormal for him as someone much larger than Noctis seated himself in his unoccupied chair. "Sorry it took so long," Gladio apologized in a hushed tone as Iris cut her eyes off somewhere behind them.

"Don't worry about it," the brunet whispered. "There's been no word about Prompto yet anyway." He sounded disappointed, borderline caustic, and rightfully so. It's been hours, and not so much as a 'Hi' from the staff here. "I'm not sure if that's good news or not," he ran an unsteady hand through his hair, gripping it tersely when he got to the end of the strands. "But, I am at the end of my wits, and if we don't hear anything in the next thirty minutes, I might have to take matters into my own hands."

Gladio's sister stood there for a shortened moment more before she began to grow a tad uncomfortable. "I should probably go after him," her words were soft but concerned.

The adviser cast a wary look in the prince's direction of departure, and then back at the other. "I'm not so certain that's the best thing right now," he warned, trying to hint towards the raven's foul mood. "Perhaps after he's had some time to cool off." He kept his eyes on her while she thought it over and ultimately decided he had a valid point. With a sigh, she placed herself on the other side of the shield and folded her hands in her lap.

The moment all three of them were seated, an unbearable and tangible silence drifted over them; unspoken worries and burdens clearly visible between them. But, no one wanted to be the one to speak up first. It wasn't until the waiting room cleared out a bit more before Iris finally broke the thick quiet. "I'm sorry," she uttered, keeping her head angled down.

"For what?" Gladio questioned, knowing exactly what she was on about.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted his gaze to look at the both of them. "I should have known something was wrong, but I did nothing about it and I just let it happen."

"You aren't his babysitter," her brother cut in swiftly, an edge to his words. "He's capable of caring for himself, but he chose not to." His jaw was set tightly in place as his fingers of his right hand gripped his other arm rather tightly. "You have nothing to apologize for, you understand?"

She bit her lip, but nodded nonetheless; he was wrong, she wouldn't say it out loud, but it was true. "Yeah," the single word was whispered and barely caught by the others. Her hands clasped at the edge of her skirt as her scrutiny returned to its previous position of staring down. Breathing out heavily through her nose, her head jerked back upright when a pair of footsteps approached. As she averted her attention towards it, she wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved to see Noctis. The need for answers had her expecting a staff member of some sort.

The prince said nothing and sauntered by to sit on the other side from her, and she couldn't help but flinch at the heavy atmosphere he brought with him. He didn't acknowledge the presence of the other two on his way by, never so much as a nod or a wave in passing.

Iris offered a few nervous glances over, never getting a gesture in return, and she was beginning to wonder if he was just mad at her, not that she would blame him if he were. A few times, her mouth opened and closed in a failed attempt at starting a conversation; everything she thought of sounded forced and frivolous in her head, though, so a sound never managed to escape. In the end, she was left with the feeling of awkward companionship.

Just when she was afraid she'd have to find an excuse to leave the premise, someone, assumed to be one of the doctors, approached, a look that could only be described as desolate on his face. From the sight of it, not one of them made a move to get up, for once unsure if they wanted to hear it.

Unsure if they truly noticed him standing there, he cleared his throat, eliciting a couple head turns from the oldest two, anticipation in their gazes. "Argentum?" he asked, hesitance clear in his tone. After receiving the confirming nods, he glanced back at his charts as if making sure nothing changed during the walk over here. "You're free to see him," he chose to say instead, and they could tell there was obviously something he wasn't telling them.

"How is he?" Noctis, snapping out of his reverie, was on his feet in an instant. Ignis was getting ready to intervene if need be at the sudden change in state.

The man's lips tightened as he placed his clipboard under his arm and made a motion for them to follow. "I've already discussed things over with him, so I think it's best this waits until we're back in his room. Then, we can go over it if he's fine with it." The others felt their hearts drop; the fact that he couldn't relay that info to them did not sit well in the slightest. Swallowing thickly, the raven muttered an 'Alright,' and reluctantly followed in behind him, not checking to see if the others were doing the same.

The walk felt as though it took ages, far longer than any of them cared for; the time it took provided them with plenty of images and scenarios, none of which were preferred. By the time they stopped outside of a door on the second floor, their hearts were racing and unease was finally setting in the pits of their stomachs.

"Before I take you to see him, I'm going to need a moment. So, I ask that you wait here until I return." He didn't permit them time to ask questions before slinking away. It didn't take him long before he appeared back, but the way he was dressed didn't do any favors for their intensifying anticipation.

"Wha...what's with the getup?" Noctis asked, unable to cover the upset in his tone.

For a moment, the man didn't speak as the prince continued to stare wide-eyed at the gown now covering him and his gloved hands. He appeared as though he were prepared for a chemical clean-up. With a heavy sigh, he replied, "I'm not going to sugarcoat this, it's, well, not good. With his condition, there are precautions to be made." Though his tone was serious and professional, his tone carried an air of his own concern.

The raven didn't question any further, didn't know if he honestly cared for more in-depth answers at the moment. Blinking a few times and slowly shaking his head, he urged for them to carry on. It wasn't long after that until they stopped once again, this time in front of another, much different looking door.

The doctor paused momentarily to make sure they were fully prepared for what was to come, and even he held his breath as he carefully opened the door, slowly as if not to disturb anyone.

"Argentum?" he asked, the others perking up at the small hum the heard on the other side. And, he sounded more lucid than he was when they found him, which seemed like an improvement if nothing else. "There are a few that wish to see you, are you alright with it?" This time, the heard nothing, but the assumed he gave the ok when the door opened the rest of the way to allow entry.

All of them stepped aside to let Noctis in first, knowing he'd shove past them if they didn't. He wasn't halfway in when he stopped in his tracks. It wasn't the IV that made him stop, nor the way Prompto's leg was bound more than it was when all this happened, or the familiar sight of seeing someone so close to him lie in a hospital bed like that. It was his expression. Baren of any real appearance other than hopelessness. "I can give you all a moment, if you wish," the doctor offered, none too oblivious to the gravity of the situation. Neither Noctis nor Prompto replied, so Ignis took it upon himself to accept before filing in after the prince. The other two followed in shortly after.

"Prom, how ya doing?" the raven pulled himself out of his trance and strolled over to lean against the wall to the blond's left. Without a word, the other shrugged, his vacant and dulled gaze refusing to leave their spot on the far wall. "Cat got your tongue?" he forced out a light chuckle, but it was met with the same lack of interest, and the gunner went as far as to turn his head to look away from him.

Grunting, it was Gladio's turn to say something, and unlike the others, he skipped the pleasantries. "What's going on?" he asked bluntly, folding his arms. "I'm guessing it's not all sunshine and rainbows for you to be sitting there sulking. So, what is it?"

The younger shook his head slowly, and it wasn't until then that any of them really looked at him. There was no denying the slight redness to his eyes, and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. "It's nothing," he finally spoke, his voice cracking and hardly audible.

"Well, clearly it's something," the shield went on, not giving up in his pursuit. "Spit it out." Again, he denied them his bottled up information. The man sighed in frustration, the exhale heavy and irritated. "Have it your way," he waved a dismissive hand and sat in one of the chairs by the window, crossing his legs. If he didn't want to talk, then he couldn't make him, but this wasn't the end of it, either.

Prompto chose to stare down a spot where no one was standing, his avoidance of them was teetering on the border of overly concerning. He jumped lightly at the touch on his shoulder, and his attention darted over, but it remained empty. "Hmm," he hummed as he found emeralds staring at him.

"Prom, how bad is it?" he locked eyes with him, not giving him the option of looking away this time.

Blinking a few times, he let his blues flick to the others for a split second, looking to each of them one at a time before eventually landing back on the brunet, and the other noticed the slight sheen to them. "Ign-is…" he croaked out, the name breaking at the end. A shuddering breath and shaky exhale later, he tried to get a few more words out, but ended up closing his eyes and dropping his head when he found it too difficult.

Getting ready for another try at it, the adviser was interrupted by tapping on the door, and he looked over his shoulder to see the familiar face of the previous doctor. Seeing him, Ignis stepped aside to let him through, who wasted no time in pulling his chair over to take a seat. "Have you told them anything?" he asked, looking directly to the gunner. He chewed the inside of his cheek when he got his answer in the form of a head gesture. "I figured as much," he replied, not looking forward to this. "Where should I start?" he anxiously chuckled; this part was never easy.

"First," he nodded his head to the remaining seats, which was only enough for all but Ignis to settle into. "I suggest everyone sit," he gladly got up from his and waved a hand to it, waiting for him to take it before continuing. "I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you that his leg did get badly infected." The lack of responses told him enough. "Well, it did start off as cellulitis," he filled in, talking slower than necessary. They couldn't tell if he was trying to prolong the inevitable, or if he was insulting their intelligence.

"Get on with it," Noctis less than politely urged.

"Right. You see, if it was addressed sooner, it could have been dealt with before it got the chance to develope further. But, it wasn't. The lack of antibiotics, the ripping of the sutures, and the increased swelling… Let's just say it was like a breeding ground for bacteria. And, once it sets in, it doesn't take long for things to escalate." He gave the patient a quick look, who in turn barely seemed to focus on him.

"Anyway, if not treated soon, cellulitis can lead to more serious issues. Which, as you can imagine, is exactly what happened. One of which is necrotizing fasciitis, which is a flesh-eating disease, and we can all count ourselves lucky it didn't lead to that." He visibly paled at the mere mention of it. "Although, it did lead to something else nearly as deadly."

They were given a moment to process all that was said thus far, all of them having similar reactions, mostly disbelief and subdued horror. All, that is, aside from Prompto, who was growing more antsy as the explanation went on, knowing where this was leading to. "How familiar are you all with gangrene?"

Noctis, as well as the others, felt slightly sick at hearing that word, and none of them said anything, not sure if they heard right, hoping they didn't. "It… it managed to develop quite far," he went on, his own demeanor shifting as the mood declined. "And, I'm afraid that we don't have many options to prevent it from spreading farther. Which means we're going to have to resort t-"

"They have to take it," Prompto cut in, getting more volume to his voice than he previously had. "They have to… amputate," he whispered this time, his head turning to where it was facing the ceiling and a few fresh beads of sweat seemed to appear on his face. However, they were barely noticed against the sheen of it.

The doctor let out an audible sigh, "To put it bluntly, yes."

"What the hell are you talking about?" the prince's words were low but venomous.

"I'm sorry, but if it was caught sooner, than this could have been preven-"

Noctis was on his feet the moment the first syllable left his mouth. "Isn't it your job to find the best solution? And you're sitting here, telling me, that there is _no_ other option? How much thought have you put into this?"

"Noct!" Ignis cut in, his volume unnaturally loud and frustrated for someone such as himself. "That's enough… Your Highness," he half bit. Keeping his eyes on the raven until he slowly lowered himself, with reluctance of course, he turned back to the doctor. "You're certain there is no other way?" It never ceased to amaze the others the level of which he could keep himself composed.

Slowly, he shook his head. "I deeply apologize, but if there were, we would never consider this." They were given another minute to soak it all in, none of them seeming to completely grasp it though. "He's scheduled for tomorrow morning."

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. "Also, not surprisingly given the circumstances, this has lead to the first stages blood poisoning." Before they could speak up about this one, he held up a hand to stop them. "However, it's not too advanced yet and should be able to be taken care of through antibiotics, but that's not to say it isn't serious. Any later though, and it would have been a different story." That being said, he rose to his feet and tried to give them somewhat of a reassuring smile, but it felt wrongfully placed. "And I realize this is all short notice, but we will have to ask the four of you to leave when eight p.m. arrives."

"Just give us some time to ourselves," Noctis near demanded, by some miracle keeping his voice somewhat hushed.

"Of course." There was nothing but understanding, and he gave them his sympathies before finally exiting and leaving them to it.

As soon as the room was quiet enough, there was no mistaking the light sniffing coming from the far wall, and all eyes except for the blond's were instinctively pulled over. There Iris was, leaned forward with her face in her hands, trying her best to keep it together. "I'm sorry," her muffled statement was almost lost from the strain of it. At this, Prompto looked over as well, but still said nothing to the girl. "I should have… should have noticed something."

"We've been over this," Gladio butted in, wanting to put a stop to this self-blame before it could go any further. "You can't take responsibility for this; you're young, and it's not _your_ job." By the way he said that, it sounded as though he were trying to throw the fault to another. And Prompto's chest tightened at the underhanded accusation. But, it wasn't as if he could argue with the man. He was right.

This was on him.

The adviser ignored whatever it was the brute was hinting at, choosing not to delve into the conversation of who was to blame for this; it wasn't important right now. "Tell me," he started looking to Prompto, "Why didn't you take your antibiotics?"

The gunner shifted his attention around, afraid to answer. "Does it matter?" he draped his right arm over his eyes in an attempt to block them out.

"In fact, it does matter." As he pressed on, Iris' sniffing was still cutting through, and Gladio took that moment to lead her out. Ignis waited until the door was closed once again. "So, why didn't you?"

At first, it looked as though he was going to brush it off again. But after a stern look from the brunet, he finally caved. "They made me feel like shit," he replied honestly.

"Worse than you do now?" Noctis asked.

The lack of a response answered his question perfectly, but the shiver that ran through him caught them both off guard. "I feel like death," he complained, sounding oddly serious about the admission. A small groan left him and he closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip, clearly trying to avoid making any sounds of discomfort. "And tired," he added, stifling a yawn. "I'm an idiot," he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, you are," the prince agreed, not bothering to argue with him. "You should have followed the damn instructions. And, Iris told us you missed your appointment…"

This whole not responding thing was beginning to grate on both of their nerves. "The point of those check-ups is to avoid things like this," he went on, seeing as this was now going to be a one-sided conversation. "And now… I just don't know what to say," he had to saunter back over to the window and stare out if it before he said the wrong thing, his hands combed through his hair rather roughly as he stood there.

"So," the blond surprisingly had a bit of fight in his voice, "What does this mean?"

"What does what mean?" Ignis questioned so Noctis wouldn't accidentally say the wrong thing or in the wrong way.

He didn't answer right away, afraid to ask the question that had been nagging him since he was first told the news. "Well… a bite is one thing; you know, something that can be healed and bounced back from. But… this, I don't see how this can be viewed from the bright side," his voice was flat, and if the others didn't know any better, they would have assumed him to have already given up. He swiped another hand over his face to clear it of some of the sweat, and Ignis took that as his queue to stroll around in search of some sort of rag or washcloth, anything that could be dampened. It didn't take a whole lot of looking for him to find what he was looking for, and he quickly soaked it through and wrung it out to bring it back.

"Thanks," he muttered, the slight coolness of it feeling like heaven in that moment. After about a minute of this, he cracked his eye open to look at the brunet and waited until he was noticed. His mouth suddenly felt unnaturally dry and his heart felt as though it were about to explode. "G-guys," he stuttered, dizziness trying to claim him, "I'm scared."

* * *

"Here, take a seat," Gladio carefully guided his sister, not removing his hand from her shoulder until she was sitting steadily in the waiting room. "I'll be right back, I think we could both use a cup of coffee," he gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder and stepped away for a few minutes.

When he returned, he had to nudge her more than once to get her to acknowledge his return. "Careful, it's hot," he warned, holding one of the cups out for her. She nodded her thanks and accepted it as if on autopilot. "You don't still think this is your fault, do you?" He sighed as she shrugged her shoulders subtly. Taking the seat next to her, he cupped his own coffee. "You realize we didn't have him stay there for you to watch him, right? We wanted him to stay there so that _he_ had access to assistance if _he_ felt like he needed it," the shield reminded with no intentions of hiding what he was insinuating.

"So, what you're saying is, it's his fault?" she shot back, not covering her agitation.

The statement struck him somewhat hard, and stung just a small amount. He didn't mean to make it seem that blunt, but in a way, he supposed if he did have to place someone at fault… "No, of course not."

"Well, that's what it sounds like," she didn't seem to be buying it for a second. "Because, I saw how much this has been bothering him, and I can't imagine blaming someone who basically had everything ripped away in an instant." She made a move to get up, but her brother's large hand gripped securely around her wrist to keep her in place.

"Iris," he almost pleaded, "Hold on, we're not done." She hesitated, tempted to snatch her arm away and head back towards Prompto's room. "Just give me a few more minutes?"

She chewed on her lip for a moment before carefully lowering herself back down without a word. "Fine, but in two minutes, I'm heading back."

"Before we head back, you need to try and hold yourself together. If not for you, then for him. If he sees us freaking out or on the verge of a breakdown, do you realize how that's going to affect him?" He gave a warm smile as she nodded, "Alright, keep your head up. You need another minute before going back?"

"No," she whispered, but still stayed put for half a minute. "I'm ready."

"Ok, let's see him while he's still in one piece," he instantly cringed at his own comment, and desperately wanted to take it back the second it passed through his lips. His silent prayer for Iris to have missed that was abruptly abandoned as she halted mid step and spun around to face him, a look of mortification on her features. "Sorry," he swiftly raised his hands in surrender, "Poor taste."

She didn't let him off the hook so easily though, one solid smack to the upper arm, and then she was satisfied enough to move on. He deserved that one.

Their walk back was somehow less tedious than the first, be it due to the shock of the earlier news, or the after effect of their heart to heart moment. Whatever the case, neither of them were willing to complain about it. There was no talking between them, but just having the other there was enough for the both of them.

"You sure you're ready?" Gladio asked one last time, his hand flat against the door. With her approval, he carefully pushed it open and stood aside to allow her in first. "After you," he waved her in with his free hand.

He went to follow her in, coming to a sudden stop to prevent from running into her. His mouth opened, the need to ask what the hold up was for on the tip of his tongue, but she quickly beat him to it. "What's wrong?" she asked, voice small and filled to the brim with worry. The shield peeked around her to see Prompto with both his arms covering his face, his body trembling slightly.

If it weren't for Noctis glancing their way, she would have thought her question went unnoticed, but he didn't answer it. "Prom," he kept his voice down, "Things will work out. Maybe not now… but eventually." His face fell at the realization that he simply wasn't getting through to him; that, or he wasn't listening. Both of those were plausible given the stress he was having to bear. They couldn't hear it, but the sharp movements of his chest showed that his breathing was a tad fast from trying to keep himself under control.

"Should we, uh, go back out?" Gladio wondered aloud, not wanting to intrude, and fairly certain Prompto wouldn't appreciate being watched like this. He stood awkwardly for a moment until Ignis finally gave him the okay to stay. Silently, he and Iris strolled back to their seats and lowered themselves in the most quiet way possible.

"Prompto?" The others turned to face the girl as she spoke, a little shocked to find her face back to its normal and free-of-worry self. She didn't say another word until she finally had the blond's attention, and the only way she was sure she had it was because of the deep breath and the slight calming down.

"Hey, I know it's probably not my place, I have no idea what you're going through, but just know that you're not alone in this." Her eyes stayed on him until he eventually removed one of his arms, just to give him the chance to peek through. "That is, as long as you let us help you this time."

At this point, his other arm lowered itself, and a muffled 'yeah' barely sounded from marginally parted lips. He also nodded on the off chance that he wasn't heard. "I know," he whispered, blinking heavily to clear his vision of the subtle blur it had acquired. Clearing his throat a bit roughly, he turned his head to face Noctis. "I hope you're right."

"I am," he assured, no hesitation and no ounce of doubt in his words.

On the other side, a flash of concern flitted across Ignis' face. Reassuring the gunner was one thing, but promising him things they knew not to be true was another. He let out a sigh and slowly pushed himself up. "Iris," he called over to her, damp rag in hand, "Mind taking over for me?" She swiftly shook her head and skipped over. "And Noct, a word… outside." He waved his hand before stepping out, an air of urgency following after him.

"What is it?" the prince questioned impatiently before his foot was out the door. Instead of answering right away, the adviser lead him a few more yards until they were out of earshot.

"I understand you mean well, Noct, but you still have to consider what you're saying," he spoke purposefully, an edge of authority seeming to raise his voice. "You can't go telling him hopeful things such as that if it's not guaranteed. Getting his hopes up necessarily could end badly, and that's not something he needs."

Instantly, the raven's teeth were tightened and his fists balled. "So what, you want me to tell him that it's _not_ gonna be alright, tell him that there's a chance that he could die. Yeah, because I'm sure that won't upset him in the sli-"

"You know very well that's not what I mean," he sighed, irritated.

"Well, it sure as hell sounds that way to me," he snapped back. His heart was beating far faster than it should have been. "I don't know how else you could have meant."

Taking a deep and steadying breath, he adjusted his glasses. "I do hope you are aware of the severity of something of this caliber. Amputation is not something to be taken lightly, and the things and complications it can lead to can be far worse than what the actual surgery entails," he muttered out quickly and quietly.

"I'm not an idiot, I don't think this is going to be easy; trust me… I know it's going to be the worst thing he's gone through." He exhaled heavily through his nose and appeared to be on the verge of jumping the other, but he swiftly relaxed himself, although it wasn't by much.

"Then you know not to make empty promises," he bit, almost sounding like a hiss.

"Iggy, all of this happened because of that damn boat ride, and if I have to do everything I can to at least keep my word about this, then so be it!" he didn't care that his declaration echoed off the walls, or that he got a few warning glances from nurses walking along the hall. And, he paid none of them any mind as he spun on his heel and swiftly sauntered back to the room, leaving the brunet to stand there with a lost feeling.

The man jumped rather harshly as a hand brushed over his upper arm and a kind face came into view. "Excuse me, is everything alright over here?" she asked, her eyes widened from the unexpected outburst.

He was still taken aback, so all he could really do was nod with a hum and offer a small thanks. Gently, he placed his hand over hers and slowly removed it from his arm and slinked by her to return to the others. Upon returning, he slipped by a couple other staff members - dressed in the same attire his doctor had been - that had also found their way in, but he didn't disturb them when he noticed them taking a few vials of blood. And, once they had what they came after, they left just as quietly as they had come.

"They needed to test for the specific bacteria," Gladio answered the question he knew to be nagging the brunet's head. "So they can give him the right antibiotics."

Prompto audibly groaned at the mention of the medication and sank farther down if that were possible.

"Sorry, but you don't have a choice this time," the shield only half teased. "It's for your own good, and unfortunately, they don't care if you don't like them, you have to take them. End of story." The blond rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue. Didn't feel like it. He took another deep breath before a shudder ran through him and he winced from the jarring it caused in his leg.

"Sonuva…" he sucked in between clenched teeth, his left hand trying to reach down to grip the appendage, but only making it down to the top of his thigh. "Is it wrong… to be ready for this to be over with?" he asked, flatly as if it was rhetorical. "I just wannit to stop," he whimpered and slurred out. "Just want this to be done." Deep down, he was painfully aware that it was far from being over, but it didn't hurt to pray for it.

* * *

For the remainder of their limited time, they tried to make the most of it: idle conversation, light humor, and the occasional future plans which were mostly for the sake of the blond. Although, throughout it all, Prompto had barely spoken a word and would only throw in his own words here and there when he felt a few pairs of eyes on him. As the hours ticked by, his eyelids grew heavier and he could have sworn it was getting colder in there; the hairs on the back of his neck prickling was enough proof to verify that.

The natural lighting was quickly departing and the lights were flicked on before it had a chance to become too dim. This was the moment it really started to sink in for them, knowing that they didn't have a lot of time left until they would be ushered out. And, they would be that much closer to the turning point in their lives.

Their joyous and light-hearted moments - if they could be described as that with the blond's forced facade - began their downfall along with the day, and soon they were left sitting in almost complete silence. That is, aside from the commotion going around just outside. The approaching and fading of footsteps would occasionally distract them from the ticking of the clock on the wall. But, when they didn't have those few seconds of peace, those clicks were grating and anxiety-inducing.

A knock on the door, and they all felt a heavy weight bear down on their chests, suffocating as the sweet, yet sentencing, voice informed them that they only had a few more minutes before they had to leave. Still, no one knew what to say; what could they say? Nothing felt appropriate or good enough.

Surprisingly, it was Prompto that broke the tense quiet. "Well, I guess this is it," he shrugged, trying to give at least a ghost of a smile.

"Yeah," Noctis agreed, all of his previous positivity gone with the time. "We'll be here though, as soon as… it's done," he promised, remembering the words his mentor had given him earlier, but choosing not to listen to them.

"I'd like someone to say otherwise," Gladio agreed, stubbornly crossing his arms over his broad chest. Deciding there was nothing to be done about it, Ignis chimed in his mutual determination. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

For the first time, the blond actually gave something that resembled a genuinely pleased expression. Not happy per se, but pleased nonetheless. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it." Him and Noctis held each other's eyes, never breaking that contact until the prince finally had no choice but to exit. But, even then, he stared at the door for a moment more.

"Noct," Ignis called back, gentle with a touch of demanding, "We should go. We don't want to get in the way."

"Right," he mumbled, forcing himself to finally leave his friend behind.

* * *

 **Please don't hate me too much. XD I promise things will get better...eventually. _**


	6. Waiting

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting, istoleyourcheesecake, and** **DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Have a tumblr for any who has info that would be helpful to this stuff.**

 **And I really hope people don't dislike Gladio too much in this one; he does get a little more...Gladio in this one. But, I don't have him getting too out there at least.**

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 **Guest : Thank you so much, glad you're enjoying them. ^/^ And we got insanely lucky, it actually changed directions. The first prediction had it running right over us, but we ended up just getting a sliver of it.**

 **Bagpipes5K2 : Yesssss, was really hoping for some tears on this one. At least I man aged to get them from a few of you guys. ;D I don't think the reality of what all this really means has sunk in for the poor guy yet. Right now, he's mostly overwhelmed I think and just kinda shut down from the news. But once realization hits, it's gonna be rough. Walking, let alone fighting and traveking with them, is going to be out of the question. ;n; They are all holding things in as well, which as we all know, never ends well. Sooner or later, those emotions have to escape, and it may not be in the best manner. XD Yessss, there were a few moments I was hoping to be heavy. This was just a really news heavy chapter. Oh, trust me, there are still good things to come from this...after quite a bit of bad, of course.**

 **MysteriousBean : Yeahhhh, this was something I wanted to do in another story later on, but thought it was better suited for this one, and just decided to go with it. ;w; I have them a bit more frazzled in this one, so I hope it shows a bit more in this one. And exactly, especially when it's a risky surgery with so much that could go wrong. There was actually a story where the doctors amputated the wrong leg, and ended up taking both because of it.**

 **Jesswinch : ;w; 'Sniff" indeed.**

 **Weaselandcherry : XD And from what I can tell and from what my betas told me, this one is a bit on the worse side...in a good way. And, Gladio gets a bit more, uh, intense in this one, and will have a pretty heavy moment much later. I just hope people don't hate him from this. XD Oh yeah, there is no way he can come along, but I do have something planned for him that will definitely make up for that, and I'm sure others will like what it is. C: The whole choosing which is more important thing will be difficult, and the idea of having to choose and knowing you can't follow your heart in these types of situations are the absolute worst. Ignis is a gift to us all, I swear, they'd all be all over the place and split up if it weren't for him. And, things get a little rocky later on, but it's mostly stuff to be expected. I promise there aren't any more bombs like this one. lol Thank you as always. :D**

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Noctis wasn't sure how long he lied there, but it became painfully clear he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep as thin and pale tendrils of illumination trailed across the ceiling. They carried an edge of green with them as they passed through the curtains. He'd given up on getting any shut-eye hours ago; no, the moment he heard the news he had a feeling it'd keep him up for a while. Still, there was a deep hope that pleaded for it all to be a dream. But, as he glanced at the time, his heart sunk further. It was happening right about now, and here he was lying still like a helpless child.

He almost felt sick just thinking about it. It would still be quite some time before he could see Prompto again, though there was an unmistakable fear he felt for that moment. He wasn't sure he'd be able to hide his own shock or sorrow He simply wasn't skilled in the art of hiding his emotions.

The raven took a deep breath, and for the first time since he'd lied down, he shifted over to his side. Twilight eyes picked up on the figure sitting at the foot of the other bed, prone as their hands hung over their knees. "Can't sleep?" Ignis asked without turning his head.

"Is that a joke?" he answered with his own question, voice cracking from lack of use and exhaustion. "Don't know how you would expect anyone to." Pushing himself to sit up, he glanced around the room, for some reason finding it a lot more dreary than normal; the lack of lighting and dull colors didn't help matters any. "Where's Gladio?" He didn't sounded particularly curious or interested, but he needed some sort of conversation right now.

"He's with Iris," he answered flatly, sounding just as unenthused. "I'll get breakfast started," the man sighed, lifting himself to his feet in a fluid motion, one that seemed practiced and less organic.

The prince nodded, despite the other unable to see the gesture, "Yeah. I'm gonna get a shower." He hadn't realized until now that he must look and smell terrible; they never had the chance to get cleaned up once they got back, and last night all of them were too on the edge to consider such a thing as bathing. Though it wasn't in the front of his mind, he did pray that the heated water would serve to wash some of his uncertainties away, as unlikely as that seemed.

They had a few hours to kill, so he made sure to take his precious time, and for once, there wasn't the brunet's pestering voice to urge him along. There wasn't a peep out of him as his shower quickly progressed into a full-on soak. Which, unsurprisingly, did little to appease his needs. All it did was give him a more comfortable environment to marinate in.

Once ten minutes went by… or maybe it was thirty, could be more as far as he knew, he slowly turned the water off. There he stood as the last of the stream vanished in the drain and he took another deep breath as he dragged the door open. Slowly he stepped out, haphazardly yanking a towel from the rack in the process. His movements were stiff and he was hardly aware of what he was even doing; the only reason he managed to get dry and dressed was mostly likely due to muscle memory and nothing else.

He glanced at himself on the way out; his hair stuck out in odd places, and his features definitely portrayed just how drained he felt. Shaking it off, he left his reflection behind to rejoin with the adviser. Sure, the mood around the other wasn't normal or uplifting, but it was still a hell of a lot better than sulking in the bathroom.

"Smells nice," he commented before he could really figure out that it was just eggs. But, Ignis hummed his thanks anyway, or it was a sound of acknowledgement; Noctis wasn't sure either way.

"There's some fresh coffee… if you'd like some," he nodded his head in the direction of the pot. "No creamer, so you'll have to make do with milk," he shrugged. No offer to make it for him like usual, not that he was complaining, it was just unsettling. "Gladio and Iris will be back shortly. She wanted to pick some stuff up and he agreed to accompany her."

At that, the raven raised an eyebrow. "Stuff?" he questioned, about to ask further when the unmistakable rattle of the door handle caught his attention. "Speak of the devil," he uttered as the shield himself strolled in, sister in tow. "Where were yo-" he cut himself off, taken aback by the load in Iris' arms. "What's all that?"

Grunting as she dropped one of the items on the bed, and the other on the table, she proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Just a few things… for when we visit," she spoke as if he should have already known. Glancing from one to the other, it finally registered what it was she dragged in: on the bed lied a decent-sized chocobo plush, and it took all he had to keep a straight face while looking at it. And, on the table was a basket containing various little things, mostly sweet things.

"Wow…" he muttered, looking to Gladio who just shook his head, "I'm sure he'll appreciate it." He gave her a soft and honest smile before wondering aloud, "When did you guys leave? The sun just came up."

Gladio groaned at this, "She couldn't sleep, so she dragged me along before the sun came up. Places open at five, and we got there the moment the door was unlocked." He sounded tired, in more ways than one.

"You could have stayed and slept longer," Iris reminded.

"I was never asleep to begin with."

"Well, then I don't see the issue," she smirked, strolling over to take a seat at the table. She tried to hide a yawn of her own before she gently lied her head down against her arm. "Did they say what time he'd be out?" Her tone lost its previous cheerfulness as the weight of things began to bear back down.

Noctis slowly looked down and took his own seat. "No," he breathed out. "They just said he'd be brought in at eight, and that it's take a few hours. They're supposed to give a call when he's out, though, so all we can do is wait."

"So, we're just gonna sit here and mope around until then?" Gladio asked, folding his arms as he scanned the lot of them over, all of which appeared to have fallen into their own ruts. Iris and Noctis finding the table oddly fascinating while Ignis dropped into his autonomous cooking habit. "I know this isn't exactly the most uplifting time, but letting it get to us isn't going to help."

At that, the raven glanced up, a gleam of disbelief in his dark eyes. "What would you have us do? Throw a party?" he bit, leaning back in his chair.

"First, you can drop the attitude," he mumbled. "I'm not saying we have to act as though nothing is wrong, but mulling over it will only make it worse." With a deep sigh, he took one of the two remaining seats. "I'm sure you're all aware of this, but no one has said a word about what's going to happen, and we can't keep ignoring it. To be honest, I have no idea what we're going to do with him from now on," his voice trailed off, fingers starting to tap over the wooden surface.

"It'll be a while before he recovers from this, and we all know it," he went on, tapping slowing down. "And, this time, we might have to leave him behind… until we finish up what we have to do," he finished, glancing around the now eerily silent room.

Noctis especially was particularly silent, until, "So, we're giving up on him? He's just a lost cause?" he bit, taking things much more personally than was necessary.

"That's not what I'm saying, Noct. You know better than any of us how much a disability can hold someone down." That hung in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time, the prince's eyes slightly widened in shock. "You know there is only one option for someone wh-"

"Breakfast is ready," the adviser announced, clapping his hands together loudly, causing it to echo within the room. He looked over his shoulder, making sure to set the shield with his glare, "Come get some before it gets cold."

The larger man returned the stare, but shook his head and looked away. "Yeah, I'll get some in a moment," he waved a hand and turned his attention back to Noctis. "We need to figure out something though, unless we want another repeat of this." And, with that, he was done, he got out what he wanted, or most of it. Blowing out a huff of air, he pushed himself out and grabbed himself a plate. The others followed his example reluctantly, but none of them seemed to really have much of an appetite at the moment.

It was nothing but autonomous movements, autopilot taking over for them when they were almost at their emotional limits. They weren't far into their meal before the subject was brought up again, but this time in a calmer and more civil manner. "Despite how you addressed the matter," Ignis began, making sure to cut his emeralds over once again, "we do need to discuss things and decide what's going to be done. Gladio is right in the sense that this is different than before, we can't wait. This could take months, not weeks, and we have other affairs that need our attention."

"Are you suggesting we drop him off somewhere again, a lot of good that did last time," Noctis tastelessly snorted, rearranging the eggs around on his plate with his fork. He missed it, but there was a slight flinch from Iris at the tone, her eyes remained downcast and off to the side.

"We might have to," Gladio decided. "He screwed up once already-"

"Will you stop blaming him already?" his sister abruptly cut in, her patience running unusually thin. "Ever since we got to the hospital, you've done nothing but hint about how it's completely his fault!" she pushed her chair back to snap to her feet.

It took a moment for the shield to comprehend what had just happened, but he swiftly composed his disbelief. "Who else is there? If he'd kept up with the antibiotics and did as he was told, then this wouldn't have happened, end of story."

"What did you expect?" she asked, not really wanting an answer. Her voice wavered subtly as she tried to get her emotions in check. "He was basically tossed aside. You guys brought him here and left after not even an hour. How do you think that's supposed to make someone feel?" She held her breath while she chewed on her lip to prevent it from quivering. "You didn't see it, but I did. He was miserable here."

"Then what do you suggest?" Gladio shot back critically, his expectant ambers piercing. "Huh, what? You want us to take him with us? Maybe he can sit in the Regalia while we go off to take care of whatever it is we need to take care of; I'm sure that'd be much better than staying elsewhere." He paused, taking a moment to calm himself just as he noticed the slight shine her eyes adopted. "Don't you see, there isn't any choice. He can either willingly stay somewhere, or we leave him…" He didn't need to specify, they all knew very well what that meant.

There was a clatter, the sound pulling all of the towards the prince as his fork finally came to a halt on his plate. "I'm done," he announced, pushing the dish away, the food barely touched. "I think I'll head on over, wait there so I'll be there as soon as he's awake." As he took a few steps towards the door, he stopped once he was next to Iris. "You're welcome to come along if you want." It was quick, but he spared a swift glance towards the brute.

"Yeah, I'd like that," she nodded, none too gently swiping the chocobo plush off the bed. At the same time, Noctis took hold of the basket for her.

Holding the door open, he looked over to the others. "I'll call when he's out," he nearly bit out, fighting with everything he had not to slam the door on the way out. Once clear, he sighed out heavily and turned towards the other. "Just ignore him," he uttered. "You should know better than anyone how he gets," he chuckled lowly, trying to lighten to moment what little he could.

"I know," she choked out, still barely keeping herself together. "I'm fine," she assured, "or, I will be." Iris finally looked back up to offer a small smile. "Let's just go, I'm starting to grow tired of seeing this place myself."

Giving a small notion of agreement, the raven tightened his expression and lead her along, not looking forward to the wait that was before them. And, they both knew it'd only be more nerve-wracking to be waiting in that godforsaken waiting room, but at the same time, it felt better than here.

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The both of them were unnaturally silent, even Gladio's snippy remarks never found their way out. In fact, his chest tightened slightly as the door was roughly pulled shut across the room. And, he could feel the brunet's warning and chastising gaze on him, but he couldn't quite force himself to meet it. He fucked up, he knew it, but what else was new. He sighed heavily and pushed his own plate away. "I guess I should be going too," he muttered.

"Sure that's a wise idea?" Ignis asked, voice thin with unspoken lecture.

Hesitating, the shield chewed on the inside of his cheek. "What would you have me do then?" he questioned condescendingly.

"Perhaps give them both a moment," the adviser suggested, tone void of any and all patience. "They left to get some space, so it's probably best to give it to them. Whatever you have or want to say would best be held until later… once everyone has had a chance to calm down."

The brute clearly didn't appear to be willing to take that advice, but after seeing the looks in both of their eyes, ignoring their frustration wasn't possible. If he were to catch up to them, they wouldn't listen right now anyway, and rightfully so. But still, "We still need to talk about it. I know it, you know it, and they know it. It's not something we can exactly put off forever," he huffed out quietly, taking his seat back with a low groan.

"In due time," the other went on. "Everyone needs a chance to soak it all in first before we start planning. He's not leaving the hospital for a good while this time. No need to rush this. Give it a few days at least," his softer demeanor was back in full force, now that the initial tension had diminished. "I understand your intentions, Gladio, but you need to realize when the right time is." He didn't wait for a reply before pushing himself up and gathering all the barely touched plates.

The larger man again got quiet as he listened to the sounds of scraping and water running. His eyes never stopped trailing along the grain of the wood while his mind wandered. "Yeah," he whispered, his fingers finding their way to his temple to start rubbing in small circles. He didn't agree with the whole waiting thing, especially something like this, but the man was right; there was no use bringing it up when everyone's emotions were running a frenzy.

"We'll figure it out," Ignis assured after some time. "It won't be easy, and I'm sure no-one will be pleased about the outcome, but it'll work out one way or another. That, I can promise." He blocked out the part of him that brought up the memory of the conversation he had with Noctis. It was nagging him, 'Don't make hopeless promises.' He almost wanted to slap himself for tossing his own advice aside.

"If you say so," Gladio replied, sounding as though he wasn't really even paying attention. "I think I'll go wait as well… in a different spot," he assured. Like the others, he felt as though he was going insane in this place. This room was just too dreary and dull, and it was doing nothing for his mood. As he sauntered towards the exit, he cast over his shoulder, "Let me know if you hear anything while I'm gone." All he got for a response was a low hum, and he turned back before reluctantly stepping out.

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Once outside of the less than visually appealing structure, Noctis paused to scan it up and down. He was really beginning to despise this place; not the waiting room like before, but it was beginning to expand to the place as a whole. Hated even the mere mention of it, the general area of it, and perhaps even the city itself. People passed by, minding their own business as they carried on with their lives… and he grew frustrated with each and every one of them.

"You coming?" He jolted out of his trance to see Iris paused on one of the steps leading up, her brows knitted in concern. "Noct?" she asked again when he didn't answer.

Shaking his head to clear it, he skipped up a few, "Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking." It was obvious that wasn't the full truth, but she let it slide. "This is gonna take a while," he muttered, seeing as the sun still wasn't that high, birds still chirped their arrival. There was going to be a lot of anxious waiting ahead, and he wasn't sure he was prepared for that, but what choice did he really have.

And, it was just as he thought, if not worse; nothing but waiting 'patiently', their bodies growing stiff from sitting still for so long. It was almost as if the most minor of movements would trigger their thoughts and imaginations to spiral out of control. The wait was far longer than any of the previous ones, and they soon fell into something of a relaxed silence; one that wasn't comfortable or gnawing. Borderline accepting in a sense.

Noctis casually glanced as people came and left, all of them appearing as though it was nothing more than a simple visit, and he felt a pang of envy from that; if only. Another hour went by, and his heart was beginning to pick up in speed in anticipation. There was not definite time when he'd be out, but it had to be close now… unless. Unless there were complications. He swallowed thickly, the hairs on the back of his neck stuck up as the possibilities teased him.

The raven clasped his hands together, the slight slickness of them going unnoticed as he lightly closed his eyes as his vivid mind took over, playing out images he didn't care to see. Just as he pried them back open, he jolted as he felt his phone go off, and he was fairly certain his heart skipped a beat from it. Slowly, his fingers found their way to his pocket and glanced over the device before he built up the courage to actually retrieve it. The buzzing continued even when he had it gripped tightly in his hand. One scan over it, and he felt as though he couldn't breathe, but he had to answer it.

"Noct…" He flitted his gaze over to see Iris' concerned one looking back.

Nodding, he uttered an 'I'm fine,' and quickly pressed the answer button and held it shakily to his ear. The news he had been waiting so nervously for filtered through, and all he could do was mutter multiple 'yeahs', unsure of what else he could say. Emptiness swiftly chased away his previous feeling of worry and apprehension; he felt cold.

"Well?" For the third time in only a few hours, the other broke his trance, forcing back into reality. "What did they say?" she questioned, her own tone on the brink of fear.

Shrugging, the prince cleared his throat and replaced his phone. "I dunno," he answered honestly. "He's out though… they said it went well, but…" he trailed off, and her brows furrowed at his concern.

"That's good though, right?" she smiled, placing her hands over his intertwined ones in a show of support.

"Yeah, it is," he sighed, though he still looked to be troubled by the news. It took her a moment to piece it together, to understand what it was he was so displeased about; then it hit… like a ton of bricks, and it didn't feel nice in the slightest.

Her expression faltering, she whispered out a subdued 'oh', and averted her gaze. Of course, seeing him after this, it was still going to be hard whether it was a success or not. Prompto wasn't going to be the same, and there was nothing that could be done about that. They wouldn't be able to help him, and that's probably what hurt the most out of all of this.

Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet abruptly and scooped up the basket on his way up. "You ready?" he asked, taking a full 180, and it was clear that it was forced, for himself if no one else. Mirroring the facade portrayed before her, Iris gave her own warm smile as she hugged the plush close and bounced up as well.

"Yeah," she chimed in, eyes shining once again with full hope. Only difference was, hers was a lot more genuine than his. Pausing momentarily, she grabbed hold of Noctis' sleeve to hold him in place. "Hey, everything will be fine," she promised, trying to hold his gaze long enough for it to fully sink in.

Blowing out a slow and steady breath of air, he gently pulled his arm away. "I'm sure," he mumbled, but not harshly. Without another word, he turned on the spot, casting a quick look back to make sure she was following. Satisfied that she was right behind, he carried on down the hall and towards the elevator. His feet almost moving on their own, his body already memorizing the path even with only having gone one other time.

This trek went on for a while, or at least it felt as though it did; it dragged on, and it was almost like they'd never reach his room. But, before he knew it, he was paused in front of his room door, his twilights settled on the number and he felt his teeth digging into his lip. Dammit, he couldn't will himself to place his hand on the handle; his fingers twitched a few times, but never left his side.

As his hand finally lifted, another beat him to it, and Iris was already halfway in before he could realize what was going on. The way she stopped the moment she was through stabbed at him. And, the small gasp that was barely audible twisted that blade deeper in. Reluctantly, he stepped around her, his dark gaze traveling straight to the blond's face, keeping it locked on that as long as he could. They were already open, those pale orbs staring but, but they lacked familiarity. They were clouded over and they struggled to focus on anything, but he was awake this time at least. Not that that made this any easier.

Stepping farther around her, hesitantly, his scrutiny carefully trailed down his body, stopping once it reached his chest. There was a slight sting in them as they blinked rapidly a few times and continued down. Once they were there, his breath caught and he had to grip the basket tighter to prevent it from slipping from his grip. "Prom?"

* * *

Ignis had his hands crossed in his lap, finding comfort in staring out the window hours ago. Nothing particularly interesting was going on out there, but it was better than staring at the wall like he had been earlier. A few times, he glanced over to the gunner's belongings which still sat where they had been dropped. And, every now and then he checked the time, hoping to see a missed call or message, even though he was fully aware that there was nothing. But, it didn't hurt to make sure.

It was probably only a couple of hours that ticked by, but it felt like days, time stretching out to the point where it was unbearable. He was certain he was going insane, yet he still refused to find anything else to do; everything he thought or did felt meaningless and like nothing more than a distraction.

Then he heard it, the single tone indicating a new message. For once, he debated actually checking it, but that was his emotions trying to take over, and now was not the time for that. Quickly scolding himself internally for trying to delay this, he retrieved it and sighed at the sight of Noctis's name. Opening the message, he quickly read through it, and he wasn't sure what to feel. It was similar to how the other felt: glad that things went well for the most part, but at the same time, fearful of the aftermath of such a surgery.

'I'll be there soon. I'll let Gladio know as well,' he typed back, sighing heavily as it was sent and dropped his phone and hands to his lap. This was it, it was done; this was the beginning of one of the hardest things they'd have to go through, and he wasn't sure how ready he was for it. No amount of running scenarios through his head would properly prepare him for the ordeals they'd have to face.

Gladio needed to be filled in, the remembrance struck him as his emerald orbs drifted back down and his cell was back within sight. Composing himself, despite being alone, he relayed the info to the shield, pretty much saying the same as he was told. Sending that, he put it away and pushed himself up, his legs feeling almost disconnected as he took that first step towards the door. There was no hesitation, no halting while he made his way towards the hospital. And, he never once looked back.

He walked with purpose, his head held high and his watchful gaze forward. To strangers passing by, he appeared to be just another average person, not a thing about him looked to be off. Which is exactly how he preferred it, he didn't need to be receiving off glances from people he didn't even know. As he drew closer, his gaze scanned the area, his mind searching out the recognizable form of Gladio without him having to tell it to. He wasn't sure where the man was, he never said where he was going, but he highly doubted he'd be waiting inside like the others.

It wasn't long before his gaze found what it was seeking, the large form just reaching the front entrance, and it was obvious he hadn't noticed the adviser yet. Picking up his pace to a near jog, he rushed forward, making a beeline for the shield. His steps slowed down to a more reasonable… reluctant speed when he was within a few feet of the man. Hearing and easily identifying the sound, Gladio came to a stop and turned on the spot.

"You just get here?" he asked right away, getting a nod as a reply. "So, you haven't seen yet," he sighed, kind of hoping he would have at least a little bit more info before he saw the outcome for himself.

"Sorry, I don't know anything yet," he tightened his mouth into a hard line, his posture unnaturally pristine. "You know as much as I do."

'Great', he thought to himself, his own jaw clenching. He inhaled deeply, and held it for a few seconds and slowly released it; there was no point in waiting any longer, they've already done enough of that, but there was still something holding him back. "Are the others already in there?"

"I would assume so," Ignis muttered, taking the lead seeing as the other made no move to carry on. "Though, Noct didn't tell me anything other than what he was told, so I'm not sure what to expect," he answered before any more questions could be asked. Not wanting to put things off any longer, the brunet strode onward, leaving Gladio little choice but to match his pace or get left behind. Of course, he trailed close behind, his own steps echoing Ignis', albeit heavier and less graceful.

Much in the same manner as the other two, they slowed down the closer they got, and their pulses were borderline burning by the time they could see the door number. It was slightly cracked, but not quite enough to get a good look through it, and he carefully pushed it open an inch, praying it wouldn't make a sound. That was too much to ask for though; it squeaked quietly, instantly drawing the attention of three pairs of eyes. Two of them filled with sorrow and subtle relief. And the third, confused and groggy, glossed over with a sheet of pained mist.

"Iggy?" the blond questioned, eyes squinting as he gazed over, "Gladdy?" He blinked heavily, unable to make them out properly. But, in the end, he gave up and turned his focus back to the ceiling, back to something that wasn't warping before his eyes. He wasn't aware of what was going on yet, mind was still fogged over from the leftovers of the anesthesia. "Took ya long enough," he croakily whined.

The two of them looked over to Iris and Noctis, who in turn swiftly cut his eyes away. At the same time, they glanced back to the gunners face, and gradually, hearts racing, darted down to his legs. Right there, even with the cover sheltering the damage, there was no mistaking the obvious dip in the material; the one single leg all too clear to them. Ignis felt a lump form in his throat, and Gladio felt a knot twist in the pit of his gut. This was real, it wasn't a figment of their imagination like they all fruitlessly prayed for since they heard the news. It was real, and it still wasn't fully registering with any of them.


	7. Phone Call

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting, istoleyourcheesecake, and** **DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Have a tumblr for any who has info that would be helpful to this stuff.**

 **And sorry for the wait, the next one should be done quicker than this one should. But, I've been socializing a lot more than usual and was mostly home to sleep.**

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 **Bagpipes5K2 : Yeah, I'm not sure exactly how they go about things, but know for serious infections that result in these things, they do make 100% certain they get all of the bad bits just so they don't risk anything. Not sure if it would really require that much though, I'm mostly just assuming. Info on this stuff is harder to come by than I thought it would be. lol Oh yeah, there will be a ton of emotional fallout, lots of blame and grief, and maybe even a bit of confusion, but it will get worked out at some point. Just hope I can portray all of that well enough when it comes to that.I think if it weren't for the fact that it's his job to keep things together, he'd have broken a bit more by now, and Gladio still has a few more of those moments to come. ;w; I had to have her give him something, she's just the type to do something like that. XD She did give Noct a moogle after all. He'll have someone to talk to and work things out with at least, which is better than sulking alone, and you better believe they'll be more on top of things like antibiotics now. ;D I can't even imagine what it would be like after something like this...especially for someone like him who always wants to move around. But...eventually.**

 **websky : XD Well, trying my best to back this one with as much emotion as I possibly can. OwO And that one I've been using was a sketch I did before writing anything; I was just too lazy to draw different ones. lol**

 **TheSleepingSloth : He's doing his little best. ;w; Of course, I'm tired of things just healing up thanks to potions. They're useful, but the sap the potential out of concepts real fast sometimes. There will be a few situations, and lots of emotions rolling high. Hoping to turn this into a bit of a roller coaster. XD And I wish I could be more like Ignis. I'm the exact opposite, never knowing what to do, or how to deal with certain scenarios. While he can just think of the solution on the spot. Gladio...poor guy. His head is in the right place, but he just needs a bit of work on his people skills. You flatter me. ^/^ I'll keep trying my best to improve as much as I can. What is your first language, if you don't mind me asking, because I honestly thought it was English. I mean, it sounds pretty natural to me.**

* * *

He took a deep breath for about the fiftieth time within the last hour, and that wasn't even an exaggeration. Shakily, he released it slowly, followed closely by a small wince. His eyes refused to look away, both mortified and intrigued by the sight. A morbid interest, sure, but it was still there. It all felt so surreal, and deep down he supposed he refused to accept that this is his new reality. Prompto blinked heavily, leaving his eyes closed on the third one as he leaned his head back. A tight and pained groan leaked out in the process.

"Does it hurt?" Noctis asked, almost as soon as he heard the sound of discomfort. He turned his head to his right, but kept his vision shielded. There was no reply; it was a stupid question, and he didn't feel the need to answer that one. But, he did at least offer a hum to let the other know he was heard.

That sound swiftly morphed into another pained whine as he disregarded his own pride and used the chocobo plush as a means to tolerate it. He had to resort to biting down on his lip as well, to the point where he was afraid he'd draw blood. "If it's that bad, then jus-"

"I'm good," he interrupted, abruptly and curtly. "I-I can deal with it," his tone fluctuated, struggling to hold its firmness. Once the wave subsided, he peered through one glossy orb to see the concerned expression on his friend's face. Breathing in deeply through his nose, he did his best to give a reassuring smile, but the gesture was never returned.

"Prompto, now isn't the time to be stubborn," Gladio cut in, finally speaking after sitting silent for so long. "If it's hurting, then take the painkillers."

"I've already had some," he blurted out hastily, his voice small. And by some, he meant the small amount they wouldn't allow him to go without. He could feel the larger man's piercing embers stabbing right through him, but he was adamant on the subject. "I'm fine," he added, softer, "I promise." His grip on the stuffed animal loosened as the throbs went through their pattern and finally dulled into something more tolerable once more.

He ignored the silent scoff; he kind of had no choice from the nausea surfacing. What's worse was, he couldn't tell if it was from the little bit of narcotics he had, or if it was from the pain. Either way, it wasn't too intense, but still something he'd rather do without.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ignis shift as he crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat. He had almost forgotten him and Ignis were still here from how quiet they were. Then again, for the last five or so hours, they hadn't move nearly an inch, so it was easy for their presence to slip the mind. He wasn't sure they had left once since they had gotten there, but he was out the majority of the time anyway.

Prompto could feel a bead of sweat trail down the side of his face, and he swiftly swiped it away. Why was still so damn hot in here!? Or, he thought so, but looking to the others, he saw that they appeared to be rather comfortable. Iris had even inherited her brothers jacket as she had it wrapped around herself. Yet, here he was sweating with his cover half off, fighting the urge to rip it off the rest of the way. His chest clenched at the remembrance of the exact reason he left the cover where it was. 'Out of sight, out of mind, right?' he thought to himself, his free hand grasping at the sheet.

Ignis caught the action, but chose not to comment on it. He did, however, vocalize his concerns on the blond's determination of refusal. "It's clearly causing a lot of problems for you," he said under his breath. "And, I know for a fact, it'd benefit you to take something. There's no use in being miserable when there's another option."

The gunner was silent for some time, mulling it over until another sharp flame ran through his thigh, and if that chocobo were a livin thing… "Alright," he bit out between clamped teeth. For a moment, he didn't think everyone heard him, so he spoke a little louder. "Fine, I'll -ake it," his words hitched and his body tensed. A few tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, but he never let them escape.

Well, the others got what they wanted, but they weren't sure how to react to the sudden change of heart. "I'll go get someone then," Iris offered, sparing not a single second in her hunt for a staff member.

Once this second wave dissipated, Prompto was left taking in shallow breaths through his nose, his jaw seemingly locked shut. Not to mention, he was positive it was even hotter in here now after that episode. His left hand inched down over his thigh in an attempt to alleviate some of the agony, stopping the moment it came into contact with the sensation of rough gauze. There was no willing his fingers to continue their travels once he felt that.

Swiftly, as if burned, he snatched his hand away, recieving a few odd glances from the others. If he hadn't already done this about two times before this, they would have been a little more alarmed by such a violent movement. He shuddered involuntarily, knowing he'd have to come to terms with it sooner rather than later. There was no way around it, and there was a small pang of anger at that realization. It was mostly directed at himself, although it was bouncing onto other things as well. Things he hated to consider being at fault, but they still found their way into his head.

His attention snapped up as someone entered, a soft expression on her face. She strolled in and silently made her way over to his right side where all the drips were. "So, you finally decided it actually hurts?" she asked light-heartedly. With the lack of a response, she quickly carried out what it was she came to do and upped the dosage by a small amount. "Alright, it's not a lot more, and if you want it upped again, or think that's too much, then let someone know and we'll take care of it." That being said, she made sure he didn't need anything else before departing.

It didn't even have a chance to enter his system effectively yet, and already he could feel the regret of this choice deep down. "This is gonna suck," he muttered, mostly to himself, but the others still heard it plainly.

"Only if you believe it is," Gladio grunted. "Don't think about it, and I'm sure it won't be as bad as you expect." Unexpectedly, there was no mocking in his words, and to say Prompto was a little taken aback by that would have to be an understatement. "Trust me, the mind can do some weird things."

The blond just nodded, trying his best to relax while he could, before another torturous session could assault him. Clearing his throat, he leaned his head back as the tempting tickles of sleep glanced over him from afar. He let out a short and quiet yawn, hoping the others didn't notice. Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't quite as slick as he liked to believe; he had four pairs of eyes giving him the same look. One that said, 'Stop fighting it already.'

"It's fine if you're tired ya'know," Noctis half shrugged. "It's getting late anyway, and they're not gonna let us stay this time. So, if you want to sleep, we can leave for the night." There wasn't an ounce of incredulousness in his tone, nothing but genuine concern and care. "We can come back first thing in the morning. Hell, might even get here before you wake up. Then, it'll be like we never left." He gave the gunner a sideways grin, a teasing one.

He nodded slowly, reluctantly agreeing to it. Though, he didn't want them to leave, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty for making them stay here for so long. He knew they had to have felt exhausted by now, and he was also fairly certain they hadn't eaten since they'd gotten here. "Sounds good," he replied. "And, no need to rush, I'm… not going anywhere."

Noctis' form frosted over a nearly unnoticeable amount at the underlying meaning. "You're gonna be okay here?" he asked, basically disregarding any rules that had been put in place beforehand.

"I told you, I'm fine," Prompto repeated, practically speaking the phrase autonomously by now. "Go back and take care of whatever you need to; I'll see you tomorrow." The last part came off to the prince as more of a reminder to himself than a departing comment, but he brushed it off.

"Yeah, see you then. Take care, I'll be back as soon as I can." He gave a small wave and had to force himself to leave. The steps were slow and his body begged to turn back, but he eventually managed. Next was Gladio, who offered a small nod and a grunt.

Then Ignis. "Try not to give the staff too difficult of a time," he joked, wanting to at least try and leave things on a light note. Last was Iris, and like Gladio, she didn't speak. But, she was the only one that stepped close enough to give an awkward and half hug; even threw in a warm smile as she spun on the spot to follow after the others.

Prompto watched the door as it closed behind them, and kept his attention on it even after a minute went by; his earlier tiredness tossed aside in the creeping loneliness. A small part of him prayed they'd come back, despite it being against policy here. Taking a deep breath, he held it, knowing the moment he let it out, it'd be like opening the flood gates. It's not like they were leaving forever… so, why did it feel so deserting?

* * *

Upon returning to the hotel, the four of them felt far more discontented than they had before the day had started. Both Gladio and Ignis headed straight for bed, hoping that tonight they'd be a bit more fortunate; they definitely felt drained enough to knock out instantly, but that didn't mean anything. Noticing Noctis making his way towards the table instead, his adviser set him with a pointed look. "Noct, you should probably at least try and get some sleep," he suggested, but the hidden demand could be made out clearly.

"I will," he promised, making no move to change his direction. "I just need a moment, alright?" The brunet's expression softened at the tone and he gave a small nod.

"Very well," he replied, "just try not to stay up too late." The prince gave a quick wave of confirmation before sliding into one of the chairs, instantly sinking down into it. His dark gaze drifted onto Iris as she stayed put in the doorway. "You staying here for a bit?" his adviser asked after a couple seconds.

She jumped slightly, and he realized her stare had been empty for a moment there. "Oh," she blurted, "No, I think I'll head back to my room for tonight. I'm kinda tired." Turning on her heel, she halted to look back over her shoulder, "See you in the morning, and everything will be fine." There was no covering the sorrow in her eyes, no matter how much she attempted to mask it.

"I know," he lied, returning the facade. "Sleep well," he swiftly added to chase away the awkward silence that ensued. He held his stare on her until she was gone from sight, and despite the other two residents, there was this unnatural feeling of solitude. Sighing, he placed the side of his head against the table, the weight of the day finally crumbling down over his shoulders. And, his body ached with the sudden burden of those pieces.

The raven's eyes stung with dryness and the begged for some relief, but his mind berated them with the need to fight it. It wasn't long before the room went dark, the clicking signifying the others' surrender for the night. This provided a bit of a comfort for his complaining sight. After what felt like an eternity, he checked the time… almost eleven. Barely an hour went by, and it seemed like an eternity. There was no arguing that he was absolutely exhausted, but moving was just too much for him right now. So, he rolled with it, and folded his arms into a makeshift pillow.

He wasn't exactly sure when or how, but at some point, he had managed to succumb to his body's needs. It was all a blur, but it sure didn't take long once he stopped trying to combat his tiredness. As uncomfortable as the position was, it didn't once disrupt him; normally he would have woken up ten times over.

His form twitched and he jerked awake, the tone blaring from his phone ripping him from the world of dreams in a violent and commanding way. Quickly, he snatched it from the table and didn't bother seeing who it was before clicking to to life and pressing it to his ear. "H-llo?" he croaked, voice cracking and hoarse.

Keeping as silent as he dared, he nodded along as the caller spoke, his gestures slowing down as his blood ran cold and releasing his breath became something that was out of the question. "I-I'll be right there," he assured, swallowing thickly… painfully, the moment the other hung up. Noctis cast a swift glance towards the others, and in his mind, there was no time to wake them up, he'd just have to send them a message later.

In a rush, he got to his feet, effectively knocking the chair over in his haste and caused it to clatter noisily against the wooden floor. He heard, more than saw, one of the others sit up in alarm. Their silhouette stood out starkly against the the wall, lit brightly from the high moon.

"What's going on?" he made out the authoritative voice of Ignis, slightly rough and confused.

"I gotta go," the prince answered plainly, never looking over to meet the other's features. He couldn't risk wasting any time.

A new light illuminated the adviser's features. "It's three in the morning," he spoke with a hint of puzzlement. "Where could you possibly be going?" He felt as though he already knew the answer to that, but couldn't fathom the reason; no way he'd be allowed in at this time, and they all knew that. "We can't visit unti-"

"They called me," the raven cut in, finally looking over with a panicked spark in his gaze. "I don't know what's going on, but they want someone up there… now." It was a challenge, and it was easily spotted by the other, but he tried to keep the shuddering out of his tone. He didn't want to give away the fear that was coursing through him.

"Very well," he sighed, understanding the urgency. "Go on ahead, I'll fill Gladio in and I'll be there when I can," he said lowly, hushedly. All he got in return was a hum and the near slam of a door as his liege left in a hurry, never even picking the downed chair back up.

Swearing under his breath, Ignis threw his cover off and pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes. It wasn't much, but at least he got to sleep a little bit this time; it was better than nothing, he decided. Clearing his throat and making sure his voice had enough of its force back, he called out to the shield, instantly getting a disgruntled groan from the man. "Gladio," he spoke louder, this time getting a groggy 'What' from the guy.

"Noctis headed back to the hospital, and I'm about to go as well. Something's up, I'm not sure what, but it sounded severe enough for them to call," he laid it all out there, not giving the other a moment to reply or soak it in for that matter. "You should stay here," he suggested, seeing him starting to get up.

He furrowed his brows tightly. "Like hell, I'm staying here. You can't wake a man up and start with something like that and expect him to stay put," he scoffed, up and stretching before the brunet could protest.

"And what about Iris?" Ignis question, knowing she wouldn't appreciate being left out of this.

"Let her sleep," he answered simply. Seeing the look on the other's face, he gave a sly grin. "Yeah, she'll be pissed, but she'll get over it. No use in waking her up when we don't even know what's going on yet. As soon as we know, I'll came back. And don't worry, I'll take the fall for it," he shrugged, used to being the bad guy by now when it came to his sister. Especially here lately.

Humming his understanding, Ignis grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and slipped them on. "I'm ready whenever you are," he muttered, trying to stifle a yawn.

"As ready as I'm gonna get," the brute returned the tone as he scratched the back of his head. The both of them swiftly put on a change of clothes...after realizing the had slept in the same apparel they wore the day before. "I feel like I could sleep for a year," Gladio complained, stretching his arms over his head once he was fully clothed.

Nodding, the adviser lead the way, dreading reaching their destination. The moment they hit the street, everything just felt wrong on a whole new level; the roads were barren and all the nearby shops were void of life. The only sound they could hear were their own rushed footfalls and the insects that thrived during this time. It was eerie… eerie and desolate, and it left a bad taste in their mouths.

* * *

Noctis burst in, his manners and consideration dissolved the second he hung up that phone, and his pulse was on high alert by the time he stepped through that entrance. His shoes left echoes of his panic trailing behind him. He received a few annoyed glances and more than one look of disgust, not that he noticed. Even if he did, it's not as if he would have really cared. The raven didn't feel like waiting on an elevator and went straight for the stairs; it was only one floor up, so it wouldn't be that much of a time difference.

There was no slowing down, not until he finally stood outside his door, and from where he was, he could make out faint talking. One was rushed and frantic, the other calm and almost fearful. Holding his breath, he placed his hand on the door and slowly pushed it open, just enough to peer through. Both his heart and his stomach dropped at the sight.

"Prom?" he mouthed, afraid to go farther in, but the blond was obviously not himself. He sat there, back almost completely straight as he stared wild-eyed at the nurse in front of him. There was another as well, this one in the far corner, still as one could be.

Delaying no more, the raven stepped in. "What's going on?" he demanded, flinching when the weapon in Prompto's hand snapped in his direction out of alarm.

A flash of himself washed through those oceanic orbs, and his grip wavered as recognition set in. "Noct," he breathed out, the gun lowering enough to allow the cowering staff members to slip away. The prince stepped aside to allow them through, his chest clenching at the moisture that shined in the corners of their eyes; they were absolutely terrified.

Whipping his attention back to the gunner, Noctis eased his way over, one hand outstretched in a calming manner. Not that he expected to actually be shot, but you couldn't be too careful. "Prompto, hand it over," he said lowly, palm upwards as it was now just a few inches away.

Hand shaking roughly, the other glanced, horrified, at the weight in his hands. And, as if it burned just to be touching it, he dropped it into Noctis' awaiting grasp. "I-I didn't mean…" he trailed off, voice trembling in what could only be assumed to be uncertainty. Now that his hands were free of it, he gazed into them, barely able to focus on their shape from the amount of tremors that wracked them.

"I think I should hold onto this," he hid the gun from view, choosing to keep it on his person from now on, or at least until Prompto was more aware of his surroundings. The other nodded slowly, having no objections to that suggestion. "Now tell me, what happened?" He took a seat on the side of the bed, deciding to sit closer for comfort reasons.

His head swiftly changed its movement into shaking. "I dunno," he muttered, still shocked himself at what he did. It wasn't on purpose… a reflex. "I thought they were…" he didn't finish that though, hoping his friend could read between the lines. To his contentment, he didn't press him to continue, but instead dropped his gaze to the sheets.

"Yeah, I get it," he breathed out heavily. His eyes cut over to the drip, and he winced at the thought of maybe some of the medication he was on messing with him a bit. It was possible, but they were for his own good. "You good?" he asked, placing a warning look on the other; practically begging him to be honest.

The temptation of deception swirling in his head, the blond willed it away and flitted a few nervous looks over. "Mostly," he spoke, almost inaudibly. He then looked towards the door, searching for the two that were in there earlier, but they were nowhere to be seen now. Biting his lip, he uttered, "Can you, uh, let them know I didn't mean that?" His tone was decorated with his regret.

"I will when I see them," he promised, but didn't make a move, no way was he going anywhere right now. Prompto took in a deep and shuddering breath, holding it for a few seconds before slowly blowing it back out. Looking over, Noctis noticed his left hand hovering about a millimeter from his thigh, his fingers twitching.

"I can still feel it," he whispered, eyes looking straight to the wall, a blanket of emptiness obscuring them. Noctis was about to ask for clarification when the blond's face scrunched subtly. "It's like it's still there, and it burns," he said tightly, clearly hiding his suffering to the best of his ability.

Sucking in sharply, the raven scanned him over. "Do you need the pain meds to be upped?" he asked out of honest concern, seeing him in pain like this utterly crushed him from the inside.

"It doesn't matter," he answered flatly, hitting like a stake through the heart at the matter-of-fact way of speaking. "No matter what, it doesn't go away, it doesn't dull. It's just there," his voice raised a few notes, getting pinched off from his mouth tightening into a straight line.

Noctis didn't know what to say, what could be said? All he could do was sit there and listen. He ran a hand through his hair, noticing just how unkempt it was for the first time. The touch was swiftly yanked away and his head spun towards the door. "Sure took your time," he chuckled lightly, thankful for the fact that he was no longer alone with Prompto. It's not that he didn't want to be there for him, he just wasn't the best for this bedside manner thing; this was something better suited for Ignis.

Speaking of, as soon as the man was over the threshhold, his emeralds locked onto the weapon stuck in the back of the prince's pants. Looking from that to the other's face, he raised an eyebrow in question. "I'll explain later," Noctis spoke quickly, deciding this was neither the time nor place for such conversation.

Out of nowhere, a heavy inquiry, one none of them knew how to react to cycled through the small area, causing the hair on the backs of their necks stand on end. "Why are you guys still here?" he wondered aloud, sounding neither upset nor frustrated. "I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?" he nervously laughed out. "I'm officially a cripple, I can't go anywhere; this isn't like before. We all know it, we may as well just say it already. I'm out, aren't I?"

The rest were ghostly silent, all of them shifting uncomfortably at the subject being brought up. Of course they had all thought about it at one point or another, but it still didn't feel real to them; or they refused to accept the reality of it. "There's plenty of time to discuss this," Ignis spoke softly, "there's no need to rush-"

"Why not?" Prompto interrupted, volume rising with desperation. "I think it's as good a time as any; the sooner you guys realize how meaningless it is, the sooner you can stop wasting your time here and deal with the important issues." His breaths were coming in quickened and shallow pants, and his eyes were shining with a fresh layer of agony. "What's the point? To make me think it's going to make a difference?"

"That's not wha-"

"Are you sure?" he cut Ignis off again, his fingers tightly clutching the sheet by this point. "Because that's what it feels like… the way you guys look at me. Like you feel sorry for me." His chest was heaving as he continued to get worked up, and the amount of slickness on his face was worrisome. "I can't stand it." He wiped the back of his hand over his forehead, aware himself of how warm it felt.

This time, no one replied, a silent and mutual understanding to give the kid a moment to settle down enough. "Prom," the brunet went on once he was certain the waters had calmed, "you know as well as we do, that's not the case at all. Yes, things are difficult, and yes they will be different. But, in no way are you a burden to us."

"But, you still pity me," he pointed out, seeing as he never corrected that part of his short rant. "It's fine," he threw out, seeing the hesitation in Ignis' stare, "I understand."

He was tired; that little moment of his seemed to sap what little energy he had, and he no longer cared to continue the subject. Whimpering slightly from the resurgence of discomfort, he relaxed back against his pillow and he turned his head to glance at the discarded chocobo. It took Noctis a mere couple of seconds to take the hint and scooped it off the floor. "Here", he offered a tad anxiously as Prompto took it with a small nod of thanks. The whole idea of him relying on a stuffed animal still gave him a feeling of humiliation, but it did help tolerate things. Because of that, he was willing to drop his dignity.

"You want to try and get a bit more rest?" the adviser asked, heavily hinting towards it rather than offering the option. From the looks of things, none of them had gotten enough lately, but he was clearly in more dire need. They'd be fine for the time being. He noticed instantly the unsure flicker flash over his features. "We'll be right here," he added, a sound of undoubt gracing his tone.

It didn't take much convincing for him to buy it; then again, he probably could have slept either way. Though, having the presence of the others did help slumber come more easily. And, he was out within less than a minute. The four of them couldn't help but envy him just a tad for that.

"He's right, isn't he?" Noctis asked when his breathing evened out and his chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm. "We're only doing this because it makes us all feel better, but it's not what should be taking priority…" the words tasted foul on his tongue, bitter and rotten. "But, what are we going to do once he's allowed to leave? It's like he said, this is different."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Ignis repeated, beginning to sound like a broken record. "We all need time to process what's happening, and talking about it now will only cause emotions to run rampant." He glanced from Gladio to Prompto, "More than they already have."

Noctis could feel his blood boiling, but he refused to let it get to him. Maybe Ignis was right. Or… or maybe he didn't want to think about it himself, didn't want to talk about it, and didn't want to accept it. In closer inspection of the brunet's face, and the tautness of it gave way to how accurate he was; he looked like he was barely holding it together, and here he was expecting him to have all the answers.

Gladio appeared to be much the same, his usually stoic face appearing as though it aged by a few years: bags under his eyes, a constant crease adorning his forehead. To put it simply, they both looked like shit.

"Guess we're spending the night here," the shield sighed, not sounding angry, but disappointed to say the least.

"You two can go back," the prince stated, leaving no room for debate. "Only one of us needs to stay, and it should be me. I'm the one that got him into this mess," he shrugged. "You two can go back and get some sleep, but on one condition." He peered over his shoulder towards Ignis, "When you come back, can you bring me something homemade… and a change of clothes?"

The adviser gave him a kind smirk and nodded, "Of course, Your Highness." He gave a bit of an exaggerated bow. "We'll be back when visiting hours are allowed."

"Oh," Noctis pulled his focus back over, "one more thing. Take this with you." His hand gripped the handle of the pistol as he slowly pulled it out and held it for one of the others to take. The brutes eyes widened a smidge at the sight of it as a million scenarios and questions bombarded him.

"Why do you have that?" he asked, shifting his weight. "Noct?" he called when he didn't get an immediate response.

The raven just shook his head, "Just keep it at the hotel. And, I'd suggest keeping your own weapons there as well, just to be on the safe side." Ignis seemed to understand and didn't push it any further; he'd be a hypocrite if he were to demand answers. So, he accepted the gun and tucked it away. "If anything happens, or if you need anything, don't hesitate to call," he instructed, going back into caring mode in the blink of an eye.

"Yeah, yeah, I will," he waved a dismissive hand. "Now, will ya go already, I'm tired and would at least like to get a couple hawers ih," he yawned to emphasize his point, the end of his sentence muffled with the sign.

Rolling his eyes uncharacteristically, the adviser waved Gladio along, turning his back on his liege. "Let's get going," he muttered. "We only have about four hours now," he needlessly reminded, deeply craving to lie back down right about now.

"Don't have to tell me twice," the other grunted. "And Noct, whatever you do, try to keep him from thinking about those things. At least for the time being. It's gonna be a while, and we don't need that kind of thinking this early on."

"I'll try," the raven assured, feeling like the advice wasn't necessary; it wasn't like he was going to try and talk about that stuff. "And, same goes to you, don't let Iris know about any of this if you can help it. It's better that she doesn't know about that… speech," he chose his words carefully. His shield returned the affirmation, and with all said that needed saying for now, Noctis was again left alone with his friend. Left there to sit in the momentary peace, knowing with all his heart that it wouldn't last for much longer.


	8. The First Step

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting, istoleyourcheesecake, and** **DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Have a tumblr for any who has info that would be helpful to this stuff.**

 **And, I promise, after this chapter, I'll be done with the hospital stuff, it will finally be time to move on to other things. C:**

 **Also, I hope what I have at the end is alright with everyone. ^-^**

* * *

 **Whistle13 : O/O Thank you so much, you are too kind. And hope this wasn't too much of a wait. I'm usually faster, but these take me a while since I'm trying to be as accurate as possible. And, it's Prompto, of course. ;D He's just the perfect little golden nugget.**

 **Bagpipes5K2 : Yeah, I've heard that after surgeries, there is still pain for basically the rest of your life; especially anything involving bones and joints. Having a paper cut is bad enough, so having one completely through a limb would suck quite a lot. lol And here I am with nothing to compare it to; never had surgeries other than the ones I had soon after birth, and of course I wouldn't remember those. I think they are all feeling some sort of guilt to some degree; they all have those little voices telling them what they could have done differently. ;w; With the gun, I had him pretty much overreact to a dream, summoned it out of instincts. Sometimes letting your emotions out can do such wonders, but then you have these stubborn bunch which refuse to show an ounce of their feelings. ;A;**

 **websky : I knooowwwwww, this is becoming quite a mess, more than I had initially intended. XD It's a spiral that I wasn't even ready for...it just kinda happened. And, I hope the right choice was made by the end f this one.**

* * *

Noctis rarely left his side. For the first five days, he was like a permanent decoration in the room. For five days, he refused to leave unless it was absolutely necessary. Prompto, Gladio, Ignis… all of them had tried multiple times to convince him to go back and get some real sleep. Tried to get him to take some time away from the place, but he was adamant on staying right where he was. Even Iris attempted to drag him around town for a bit, only to be politely turned down.

He couldn't… he couldn't physically will himself to walk out unless he absolutely needed to. Sure, Prompto assured him that it was fine, explained that he'd be alright to be left alone for one night. But after that one night, Noctis just wasn't persuaded. All it took was one bad dream, or one bout of confusion for him to have another moment, he was positive. And, he just wasn't going to risk anything like that to happen. Not this early, anyway.

But, Noctis did as he was originally asked: he kept the other occupied and did what he could to keep his mind from wandering back into those depths. It was nothing much, just conversation and the occasional game of King's Knight, but those were the moments that caused them both to get lost from reality, even if for just a few minutes. Of course, once the last word was spoken, or the last round was played, the rhythmic sounds of the hospital and air closed back in around them to serve as their anchor to the real world. And, in those moments, almost everything else seemed to not matter anymore.

The morning of the sixth day, there was something of a tense atmosphere that filled the area; one that radiated from the blond. And, none of them could blame him for it, this was something he had been dreading the entire time. His fingers fiddled and played with the sheets in anticipation as his eyes watched the clock with an unwavering vehemence.

Prompto breathed out heavily through his nose, his lip caught between teeth as his eyes flitted from the time to the door, waiting for the inevitable. "It won't be as bad as you expect," the prince promised, keeping his tone casual.

"I'm sure," the other said, trying to force himself to relax a bit. By this time, the pain had subsided enough that he could mostly tolerate not having to take as many painkillers - which he was more than thankful for. He didn't know why any of this was necessary, he'd already learned how to use crutches, so he wasn't sure why they felt the need to teach him again. It sounded like nothing but a waste of time to him. "Still don't see the point," he mumbled, dropping back against his pillows.

The prince crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair, hands clasped in his lap. "Guess they just have to be sure," the raven shrugged.

"Still dumb," he replied. Noctis had to roll his eyes at the other's stubbornness and sulking over this. It was understandable, but he could try to look on the bright side. He chewed on the inside of his lip as he mulled over that though. Was there even a bright side to look at? "They're taking forever," he complained under his breath, clearly trying to sound as though this wasn't such an issue to him, which failed miserably, no surprise there.

"I'm sure it won't take too much longer," Noctis assured, taking a look towards the door himself. Unwittingly, his gaze drifted back over and onto the cover still draped over the other, and eventually trailed down. He still hasn't really seen it; whenever they came in to take care of it, he made certain to avert his attention. He still had no idea how he'd take it. He wasn't even sure if Prompto had seen it yet, though it was highly likely, but there was still a lot of awkwardness to the blond when anything about it was mentioned.

His attention snapped to the door when it finally opened, and the guy that entered went straight to the other side and began discussing their plan for the day. And, it was almost the same as the first time: he explained things and made sure the patient was ready. Gave him a moment to get himself mentally prepared before starting anything.

Once they were on the same page, the blond gripped the cover, hesitating as he only pulled it away by a few inches, slowing down more the more that was removed. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this, but he couldn't hold it off forever. The longer he waited, he knew the worse it would be. So, in one swift and stiff movement, he yanked the cover away and closed his eyes before he could see anything.

Noctis, however, kept his focus on the whole thing, finding himself unable to peel his gaze away. His eyes widened and he felt both his throat and his chest tighten at the sight. Of course, he knew what to expect, but actually seeing it was like a punch in the gut. Swallowing thickly, he glanced back up to the blond's face, who had at last decided to take a look for himself. His own blues were only partially open, but it was enough to make his stomach drop.

"It's not… so bad," Prompto laughed nervously, voice hitching halfway through. But, he couldn't look away from it; it seemed so wrong, so unnatural. And, it was all the verification that he needed to know that this was indeed real and not a really long and hellish nightmare.

The doctor gave him the time he needed, and in no way tried to rush him. This was a lot to get used to, and you couldn't expect someone to just accept it after less than a week. "Just let me know when you're ready," he spoke quietly, unintrusively. The other could only nod, his left hand reaching down once more. But, this time it felt down all the way. He was hit with a subtle wave of nausea at the feeling of it; it screamed abnormal at him and he wanted to just cover it back up and never see it again. That wasn't an option, though.

"I'm ready," he replied tersely, forcing his gaze to move instead to face the man. He gave a confident nod on top of it just to make his point clear that it was really alright.

With his confirmation, and with the doctor's help, he sat on the edge of the bed, the frequent hiss and whimper sounding out with each movement he made, but he could deal with it. The pain was nowhere near as bad as it was… but still pretty rough, though. "Here we go," he muttered, voice a tad shaky in his uncertainty. Gripping the crutches that were handed over, he unsteadily pulled himself up and almost instantly lost his balance. It was so odd, he had no idea what a difference it would have made, and this was going to get a lot of getting used to.

"Take your time," the man encouraged, his hands hovering just a few inches away, ready to step in at a moment's notice. And, he couldn't see it, but Noctis' own body was tense with nerves and also prepared to jump up should he need to.

"I got it," he assured, more stubbornly than he intended to, but this constant hovering and near coddling was beginning to irritate him more than it should. He repositioned himself and grew deathly still once he had his balance back under control. And, there he remained, making sure he wouldn't topple over before he went to make the next move. Then again, he wasn't sure if he wanted to, suddenly feeling more than a tad self-conscious with two pairs of eyes boring down on him. Both of which were watchful and waiting, almost like they expected him to falter.

Tightening his mouth and letting an ounce of determination settle in, he took that step, and it still felt beyond wrong; nothing felt balanced or natural. Unlike the first time he had to learn to walk with a pair of these, this time was going to be a lot different, a lot more getting used to. "If you feel comfortable with it, I'd like you to try and walk around a little bit," the doctor instructed. "It doesn't have to be a lot, but any amount will be beneficial." He gave the blond a small nod and what he could only see as a practiced and patient smile.

"Alright," Prompto muttered, again taking his time before attempting another step. Already, after just standing and taking the single step, he could feel his body growing tired and a little shaky from the exertion. It was absolutely humiliating in his book; who the hell gets tired after standing? Shaking his head, he chased those nagging thoughts away. 'It's normal,' he told himself, trying not to dwell on such things.

He tried to block the others out, perhaps pretending like they weren't there would make this easier on himself. Without the pressure of having to make this appear as though it were easy, he'd be able to just focus on not stumbling. But, his ambitions were apparently higher than what he was ready for. Upon his next step, he put a little more swing into it than necessary, and he could instantly feel his balance fleeing him. Luckily, he was able to catch himself before it was too late, but not before he could make out two strong grips on either of his upper arms.

Prompto glanced from one side to the other, on his right finding Noctis, standing and right next to him, and the other man on the other. "I said I got this," he uttered snippily, wiggling out of both of their supports with a small huff.

"I know, Prom," the prince nodded, taking his hand away to hold them both up in surrender. "It's just… reflex," he shrugged, trying to play it off the best he could. Though, the worry and protective side of him was hard to ignore in his eyes.

"I guess," the other played along, not feeling like arguing. He offered the raven a kind and somewhat thankful smile before taking a deep breath and giving things another go. Casting the both of them a glance that was a mix between an uncertain and a pleading, the blond took another step; this time it went much smoother, now that he knew what to expect. And, he made sure not to put too much force behind it this time.

Out of his peripherals, he could make out a satisfied gesture from the older man as he stepped back to allow him more room. "Just keep doing that a few more times, and you're free to take it easy for a while," he promised, just honestly glad there was improvement so quickly. There was still quite a ways to go, but this was still more than he had hoped for.

Without a word, the gunner gave a swift cock of the head in understanding, his breaths coming out a bit too heavily for him to try and speak at the moment. He could feel his pulse racing, which didn't sit well with him, but he was sure it'd get easier - it had to.

The whole while, throughout his entire journey around to the other side of the bed, Noctis kept an unwavering gaze upon him, never once letting him out of his sights. He didn't care if Prompto was annoyed by it, and he didn't give a shit how it made him look, but he was not going to let his friend so much as take a misplaced step without him noticing it. There was this slight swell of pride, however, when he made it the rest of the way without an issue. He was pretty out of breath, but other than that, seemed fine enough.

Once on the other side, Prompto didn't hesitate and dropped himself down, letting out a sigh of relief as he let his eyes slide closed so he could focus on evening out his breathing. "That's good," the man stepped around to the point where he was standing out in front of the blond. "I think we should try to keep this up, maybe try to walk a little longer each day until it becomes more natural and easier to bear."

Prompto continued to control his breathing and nodded along with whatever was said. He barely paid the guy any mind, though, it sounded no different than what he'd been hearing the last few days. It was nothing but embellished encouragement that sounded more like a routine than genuine statements.

So lost in his thoughts and autonomous actions, he was barely aware when him and Noctis were left alone again; he had to take a quick look around to make sure he hadn't merely stepped around to the other side again. Seeing now that he was indeed gone, he let out a sigh. "Thought he was planning on moving in here," he half joked, but sounding more bitter than anything.

"It's not that bad," Noctis said for the upteenth time.

Scooting farther back onto the bed, the blond gave him a pointed look. "Says you, you're not at the receiving end of it. Swear it feels like they look down at you half the time," he said quietly, rubbing the back of his head. "Imma go insane in this place, no doubt about it."

"You only have about a week left," Noctis reminded, chuckling lightly. "I think you'll survive that long." He rolled his eyes at the deadpanned look of denial on the other's face. "Quit being so dramatic, it'll be over before you know it," he quickly bit his tongue the moment it was out, not really realizing what he said, but it was too late now. Swiftly, he glanced over, relieved to see the lack of a reaction from the other. Either he didn't really hear it, or he didn't think much of it. Whichever it was, he was more than thankful for it.

Instead, the blond finally worked his way back onto the bed and in a more comfortable position, letting out a stream of grunts and hisses as he did so. No matter how careful he was, there was no avoiding the sharp and painful jabs that stabbed him through his thigh. The entire time, he had his left hand gripping just above the bandages, and it took all of Noctis' willpower not to step in and help. If it was truly needed, then it would be requested. Until then, he'd have to learn to let the other fend for himself.

"When will the others get here?" he asked after a few minutes. Not that he didn't appreciate the raven's company, but it's been just the two of them so much frequently, that it was nice to have a few new faces from time to time; even if it was for just a few hours a day.

Shrugging, the prince checked his phone. "Maybe in an hour or so," he guessed, assuming they'd arrive at around the same time as the day before. That being about ten in the morning.

"Alright," he answered plainly, not sounding thrilled nor disappointed about the answer. Simply acknowledging it for what it was. Letting his eyes drift down, he stared at his leg for only a moment and the cover was back over him again; he'd seen enough of it for one day. More than he ever wanted to. Clearing his throat after he caught the look Noctis was giving him, he mumbled, "Kinda cold in here." It was an obvious excuse, but he wasn't called out on it.

"Can always turn the temperature up," he offered instead, getting a slow shake of the head instantly and a muffled, 'It's good.' "Suit yourself," he ended the conversation on a light note and leaned back in his seat, propping his feet up on the side of the bed where there was plenty of room.

The other gave a playfully offended look and brushed it off; it didn't bother him in the slightest, but he wasn't going to ignore it either. "Hey, Noct?" he called over, his tone taking on a serious one out of the blue, a sound that caught the prince off guard and caused his alarm bells to toll.

"Yeah?" he asked nonchalantly, raising a single eyebrow.

"I was wondering… have you guys, you know, talked about what the plan is?" his gaze was dropped to his lap and his thumbs twiddled together. His nerves were teetering on the edge as he voiced his concerns after days of holding them in.

A little put on the spot, Noctis stumbled over his words, "What… wait, what are you talking about? A plan?" he feigned ignorance.

That sharp blue glare was shot his way, one that saw straight through the wall the raven had put up. "You know what I'm talking about. Like you said, I'll only be here for about another week, so what then? I just want to know, I've been wondering about that this whole time."

"We haven't decided yet," Noctis admitted, feeling a bit shameful at having to reveal that. He knew it was something they needed to get to at some point, but surprisingly, it was Ignis who kept putting it off. Him and Gladio, and even Iris, had brought it up more than once, only for it to immediately be brushed off.

"Nothing?" he questioned, not sure if he honestly believed that. At the same time, he wasn't even sure if they'd really tell him anything anyway until it was time for them to get on the move. That tended to be how they liked to do things lately. Which was a little irritating, but he guessed he understood. Though, that didn't mean it didn't frustrate him to no end. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and let that be the end of it. "Well, let me know something this time when you guys decide to," he mumbled, fighting back a yawn.

"I promise, as soon as I know anything, I'll fill you in," he nodded, staring straight into the other's face as he cracked his gaze open to meet it. For a second, Prompto didn't avert his eyes, holding it there until he was satisfied that he was telling the truth.

Folding his arms, the blond only broke that connection at the light knock on the door. There was no time to spare between that and the opening of said door as three figures let themselves in. "Glad I was dressed," Prompto muttered sarcastically, despite the fact that he hasn't exactly been out of the gown a healthy amount.

"Nothing we haven't seen already," the shield teased, passing right by to head to his usual spot by the window. Next to stroll through was Iris, who gave her normal timid wave and smile before joining the spot next to her brother. And, last was Ignis, always the one to have the serious and unmoving expression upon entering. He could never tell what the man had on his mind. With the others, it was easy. Sorrow, upset… pity, all covered up with their well-developed masks which they had plastered on. But Ignis…

"Hope you're doing well," Prompto perked slightly at the smooth and well-placed tone that sounded out, and he just realized that he'd been staring at the man since he'd walked in. His gaze flickered around clumsily for a bit before landing back on him and a strange grin formed.

Blinking quickly a few times, he blushed slightly from embarrassment, "Uh, y-yeah, everything's as good as it can be." Finally, he tore his scrutiny away, trying to avoid looking at the brunet longer than he already had. In doing so, he chose to look to the others instead, both of which weren't gazing at him nearly as intently as the other had. "So," he began awkwardly, no matter how many days passed, he never got used to this, "anything new been going on?" He gave it his best shot to sound interested, but he was afraid his enthusiasm fell a bit short.

Shrugging, the shield crossed one leg over the other and made sure to make himself as comfortable as possible. "Just the usual, taking local hunts, nothing too out of the ordinary. All of them low risk and overly simple. Guess you could say we've been reduced to errand boys." There was something in his tone that read off as accusing, and Prompto didn't miss the way he kept tossing sideways glances to the strategist. Clearly something was bothering either just him, or the both of them.

"But, we can't complain about the rewards," Ignis hastily jumped in, interrupting before another word could leave his lips. "We're slowly gathering the needed funds to pay things off, so things aren't as bad as they first seemed," he spoke with precision that had been well thought out. He felt the shield's glare resting on him at the blatant lie, but he never so much as twitched under those penetrating embers.

As he talked, the blond kept up his flitting glances in the brute's direction, and still he didn't appear to be too thrilled about all this. His demeanor and posture had definitely taken on a new light when compared to the last few days. And, he didn't know what to make of it; he didn't know what to make of any of them anymore.

"That's good to hear," Prompto replied, not wishing to wait too long before speaking.

"What about here?" Iris asked, always with her cheerful voice as she served as the perfect person to break the souring mood. "Did you get to start moving around yet?" There was a shine in her eyes that held high hopes, and he couldn't possibly stay in a tainted mood when she got like this. Doing that was almost as bad as kicking a puppy in his opinion.

Returning the expression, he gave a quick nod, "Yeah, a little bit. It wasn't a lot, but it's something, I guess." He left out the fact that it took him a few attempts, as well as how winded it had left him afterwards. But, that was mainly for the sake of his own pride.

"In due time," Ignis jumped in again, taking his seat for the first time. "So long as progress is made, then it's a step in the right direction." Nothing different there, still trying to look on the bright side and be the logical one. Ever since this had started, he never once said anything negative or concerning to the blond himself.

"Eventually," Prompto agreed, shifting uncomfortable.

For a time, they kept their small talk up; and, that's all it was, a bunch of small talk. It was almost as if any subject of importance was thoroughly avoided. Whenever they were about to head in that direction, the conversation was swiftly and forcefully herded down another path. It wasn't unnoticed, it was like a stake in the heart every time it happened. It felt like he was being needlessly protected from the reality of the situation. He couldn't say he appreciated it, but what could he do? Just go with it, it would fix itself sooner or later.

Time ticked on, minutes to hours were spent the same as any other. After the first, he had lost interest in half the goings on. By the third, he was barely paying attention anymore. Then, as the last rolled around, he found himself struggling to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time. At least he was able to stay awake longer than usual, but he still longed to tough it out for one entire day… just one.

As the sun now hung low in the sky, its rays piercing through the window, Ignis pushed himself up to his feet with a low groan, a few joints popping in the process. "We should probably be leaving shortly," he announced. In other words: 'We have things to do, and can't stay here any longer.'

"Don't let me keep ya," Prompto waved a hand, holding no animosity in his body. "It's getting late anyway."

"It's only five," Noctis informed, narrowing his gaze.

"That's late for me," the other replied, a sheepish expression on his face. "Later than I've been making it anyway," he reminded, letting himself sink further into the sheets as they began to pull him in. He didn't want to be blunt, but he honestly did just want to go to sleep, but he couldn't do that while they were there. Well, he could, but he would rather be conscious for their visits.

Gladio snorted to himself when another yawn sounded out, this one not being stifled in the slightest. Now that he was no longer hiding just how exhausted he was, it was actually pretty obvious. "Just another week," he mumbled pushing himself up and waving a hand for Iris to follow suit. With a hum and curt nod, she obliged and made her way over to the blond to bid her farewell; which was a sideways hug, one that was still gentle and reserved.

"I'm not that fragile, ya'know," the gunner joked.

"Coulda fooled me," the larger man shot back, a look of amusement sliding into his features. He stepped up once his sister left his side in order to give a firm yet playful pat on the younger's shoulder. This elicited a minor jolt through him from the unexpected weight dropped upon him. "Yup, I thought so," he laughed, taking his hand away.

Rubbing at the assaulted area, Prompto scanned the brute up and down. "That one doesn't count, I wasn't ready for it," he mumbled, practically in a pouty tone, but it was still light-hearted in nature.

"I'm sure," the shield called over his shoulder as he strolled over to join the others. Then, he switched his attention over to the raven, "You staying here again?" His voice was heavy with incredulousness; he did find it to be a little concerning at this point. The first couple of nights, he understood, but nothing like what happened that first night had occurred. So, he didn't see the point in it anymore.

There was zero hesitation before he gave his answer of confirmation. "I told you, until he's discharged, I'm staying here," he replied stubbornly, his resolution radiating off in tangible currents. Gladio chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment, but simply nodded; a stiff movement to show that he had heard, but didn't agree with it.

"It's up to you," he sighed, knowing there was no convincing him, not after all their tactics had failed so many times over by now. "But, if you feel like someone needs to stay here, then you know one of us won't mind," he said sincerely, basically begging the prince to take at least one night off to catch up on sleep and take care of himself. "Just this once before you end up in a room up here yourself," he only half teased.

This time, he seemed to ponder the offer, looking over to Prompto in hopes that he would answer for him. "I wouldn't mind filling in." Noctis' head snapped towards Ignis, who was already taking a seat once again as if he had already agreed to it. There was no arguing once he was in place and making himself at home, and he could feel his eye twitch at the sight of it. Without saying anything, the strategist pretty much chose for him.

"I guess… if you guys really want me to," he whispered, looking from one to the other to see mirroring nods; even the gunner was urging him to do so. But, as he watched his adviser fold his arms over his chest in determination, he exhaled heavily. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt," he forced out, finding a spec on the floor oddly fascinating.

A satisfied smirk slid onto most of their faces, and Gladio lead the way to the door. "We should get going then," he called over, subtly telling the prince to hurry up. "If you're up for it, we even have another 'errand' to run in the morning." The raven let out an exaggerated breath of air, accompanied by an over the top eye roll, but he agreed nonetheless. He didn't admit it, but getting a bit of exercise in could probably do wonders for his mood. Though, he'd never let his shield in on that secret. If he knew he actually wanted to work his muscles out a bit...

With that, goodbyes were exchanged, and the others eventually left, after quite a bit of reluctance though, most of which were on Noctis's part. But, once they were gone, the previous veil of gloom once again draped over the room. It was a feeling the blond was slowly growing accustomed to, and he didn't know how to take that. Though, as drained as Prompto felt, he just couldn't will himself to go to sleep, not with Ignis sitting right there anyway. Not with all the questions he had, and this was about the only time he'd be alone with the man to ask such things. Taking a deep and calming breath, he sat up and pulled himself to lean against the back of the bed.

As soon as Prompto shifted, those speculating jades were snapping right to him. "Something on your mind?" the man asked, quick to get to the point. Sometimes he believed the man could actually read minds, it would explain so much.

For a moment, nothing was said as the blond chewed on his lip nervously, wondering if he'd even get any straight answers. If anything, Ignis was the best at dancing around the topic, and he was very aware that this would be no exception. Worse, in fact. However, he'd get nowhere by storing all his worries away to collect dust.

"Iggy?" he mumbled after another few seconds of gathering all the courage he could muster, "What are you guys planning on doing when I get to leave?" He tried his hardest to keep his voice strong and steady; didn't want to sound desperate or pleading, because he purely desired answers. "I mean, am I staying at the hotel again? Am I going somewhere else? I already know I can't go with you guys, and I'm okay with that. But, I still want to know what's going to happen." He hated the words as they spilled out, tumbling out faster as he went on, wanting nothing more than to get them out into the open. He couldn't say he felt better by finally saying what he needed to, but they didn't cause him any regret either.

The questions didn't phase the man, he sat there in silence. He could foresee this inquiry coming from a mile away, and he was surprised it hadn't arrived sooner than now. That didn't mean he was prepared, but he had plenty of time to let the idea simmer. "I've made a few calls as to your living arrangements," he replied solemnly. "I'm not sure how you'll feel about it, but I do believe it to be the best course of action for everyone involved." He paused to allow that first bit to set in, unsure of how long he should do so before continuing.

This just caused more questions to surface, but he held his tongue, it was a miracle he was getting this much. "So, I won't be staying with Iris again?" he asked, not sounding pleased or upset about this… just indifferent.

"No, I have decided that… a more demanding place will need to be in order this time around." And there it was, his way of speaking, his word choice that skipped circles around the blunt response Prompto craved.

"Which means?" he went on, disregarding his previous restraint on pushing the subject. "You're not sticking me in a home or something, are you?" he laughed, an anxious and humorless noise. His face began to falter when the seriousness on the other's face didn't drop, and he could feel his heart racing. "Ignis?" he asked, begging for him to say something.

Inhaling deeply, the brunet shook his head, "Of course, not. That thought never crossed my mind," he assured, instantly getting a relieved sigh out of the other. "We trust you enough for things to not come to that." _Despite what you have lead us to believe_ , he bitterly thought to himself.

"Then what?" He had to know. Ignis gave him this much, he didn't think it was ridiculous of him to demand a more clear reply. This was his future, after all, he had a right to know.

Thinking about it once again, the adviser let his fortified shield fall and his sharp features smoothed out with compassion. "Alright, I'll let you know, but it's not set in stone yet, so it's still undetermined. But, I made a few calls, both to Cid and Cindy." Before he could finish, Prompto was already blushing slightly and trying to cover up his flaring nerves. To him, this was worse than the hotel option.

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "Wha- why there? I'm sure there's somewhere else… and isn't that out of the way? That has to be at least a day's drive, and you guys have your hands full and every-"

"Prom," he cut off, single hand raised to silence the flustered gunner. "Don't worry. If it turns out that you'll be staying with them, it's already been agreed upon that she'll come here." This information didn't help in the slightest, and he felt his heart almost come to a complete stop at realizing that he'd be riding with her… most likely alone… for hours. "But, obviously it won't be for free."

The blond's stomach dropped. "How much?" he asked, his once reddened cheeks losing all color. They already had the hotel to pay off, and now these new hospital bills. Hell, he didn't even know if they had the first ones payed off yet. His hands gripped the sheets as those old self-blaming lectures starting blaring around in his skull. They couldn't afford to pay off more stuff.

Again, Ignis shook his head. "They aren't asking for money," he corrected. "But, they did say you'd have to help out as much as you were able and once you were healed up enough. There's no rush though, and they already made it clear that you are not to push yourself if you do stay with them." Prompto could only nod along, he didn't know if he liked this decision or not. It had its _obvious_ pros, but the cons it did have were pretty dense. For one, it felt nearly like a sentence. A cripple being dropped off at a shop in the middle of nowhere, sure sounded like a dead end to him.

"Alright," he mumbled, merely accepting it; it still wasn't his place to complain. He knew they were all doing what they could, and if this is what it took, then so be it. He would toss what remained of his dignity aside and make this as easy as possible for all involved. It was better than being left with a nurse in a home, at least. "I think I can live with that," he basically mouthed, leaning back on the mattress again to get comfortable. His eyes stared up blankly at the ceiling as a million scenarios ran through his racing mind. Everything would work out… eventually.

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 **Like I said, hope people like where this is going and aren't upset about the direction I'm taking it, trust me, there is more drama and angst to come out of this. ;D**


	9. Change of Pace

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and** **DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Ok, so this is my first time writing Cid or Cindy...at all, so let me know if they seem accurate enough, or if there's anything I need to work on regarding them. But, I must say, they were hella fun to write. I have a feeling there were some that aren't thrilled about this direction, but I ask that you give it a chance. ;D**

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 **TheSleepingSloth : Hnnnng, I'm so glad to hear. I was really worried a lot of people wouldn't be thrilled about this direction, but I'm glad most do. ;w; And I'm also thinking that having a purpose like that and feeling useful will help him get back on his feet (no pun intended) Unlike before, when he had nothing to do, he won't feel useless. Ohhhh, it will be awkward for everyone for some time, I'm pretty sure. No way that would be easy, and kind of a hard thing to get over. I know I'd hate to have people tiptoeing around me, it'd be so frustrating. And there seem to be a lot of German people that are into this stuff. XD I think you're about the third one at least. Or the third that's mentioned it, I'm sure there are others.**

 **Whistle13 : So glad you're enjoying it. ^/^ I'll do my best in these upcoming ones. Though, things may settle down for a bit before they pick back up. C:**

 **websky : XD I don't think anyone was expecting it to be honest. But, I have plans, and this is necessary for those plans. :D There's gonna be problems on all sides for a bit. And, gonna have to raise that tension right back up in the next few chapters.**

 **Bagpipes5K2 :So, I guess I got that pretty spot on then? ;w; Closest thing I have to any of that is blood sugar dropping, but that can't even compare, so that doesn't really help in the slightest. XD All I know is with your body too busy working on healing itself, it can't really function very well when it comes to other things, which would make sense. Same as when you're sick and the like. It takes the priority of not dying. Yeah, I imagine none of them wanna accept the truth, even though they all know it deep down. They all know he can't come along and they have to leave him again, and after what happened last time, they don't want to, but what choice do they have; they already delayed long enough, and the others have a duty to stay with Noctis. It's rough, but they have to make the right decision. I agree, both Cid and Cindy don't beat around the bush and the both of them are straight forward. Not to mention, they won't make him feel useless or any different. I don't think they even know how to. And, I'd love to see them actually working on repairs together, it would be so freaking cute and I kinda need it in my life. Oh, I have some harsh plans for this, and they will hurt, in more way than one. ;w;**

 **MysteriousBean : Ohhhhh yeah, this is gonna be a bumpy one for sure. Oh God, if he were to act like that around there for even a moment, he'd get an earful, I'm 100% certain of this. XD And there probably won't be to be honest. I kinda wanna avoid the MT stuff with this one since it's brought up so much, Only issue is that's something that's really difficult to avoid and all. But, thank you, glad you're still liking it. :D**

* * *

It's been a week. A week of sitting around and waiting for his sentence to be over. Seven days of making tedious and subtle progress; progress which was taking far longer than he would have liked. Every day was the same. He'd wake up and spend a few minutes or so walking around, either for a set amount of time or until he got tired, which the majority of the time ended up being the latter. And, each time, he'd sit back down with the same thoughts in his head. Berating himself for not improving more by now.

The others came and went, now having a system where they would rotate out, one staying with him a night. Noctis had finally released his reins on the blond enough to accept this, much to the relief of all of them. After Ignis, it was Gladio, then Iris, then Noctis again, and almost all of them were the same: awkward. They'd have their conversations, sure, but it was all too forced and practiced. Ignis was always too formal, Iris was forever using her cheerful nature to hide her upset, and Gladio was too...soft with the way he spoke to be normal.

Come his last day, they all sat around the room, eager and anxious about when the time would come. Prompto's hands were in his lap and he gnawed on his lower lip as his hips shifted nervously. The day before, they had already been filled in on how to handle things at home, and this time, the gunner soaked in and retained every last word of it, going over what was instructed over and over. All night the lecture replayed until it was engraved into his memory. Every last detail of it.

"Well this is it," Noctis broke the silence, all eyes snapping over to him. "Last day we have to spend in this hellhole." 'I hope,' he thought, brows knitting together slightly.

Prompto hummed in agreement, "Yeah, took long enough too." He shifted, pulling himself to sit up straighter. "So, uh, when are they supposed to be here?" he asked, not wanting to sound too impatient, but he had been waiting for over a week to leave.

The adviser checked his phone, scanning over something before his gaze fell back onto the other. "It shouldn't be too long," he informed. "They left as soon as it was morning. I'd say maybe another hour at the least." He folded his arms and looked towards the window, where his focus remained for a while longer.

A small and humorous chuckle filled the room, catching all of them off guard. "What's so funny?" the blond asked, bright eyes cutting over to the shield, a twinge of confusion in his tone.

"Nothing," he replied, raising his hands in mock surrender, "just can't stop imagining what it's gonna be like. You know, spending all that time around Cindy. I guess now you won't have a choice but to grow a pair and speak to her," he grinned knowingly and mischievously to the younger man. There was satisfaction there as well once he saw the heat rise to his face.

"W-What are you talking about?" he blurted out, flustered and embarrassed. "Dude, it's not like that," he added, sinking back down the smallest amount. The brute only responded by widening his smile, causing the smaller to squirm under it.

He took a deep breath and eventually composed himself before pulling himself back up. Blowing out slowly, he tossed the covers aside in order to work his way over and sit on the edge of the bed; he was so sick of lying there. His hands were placed on his thighs, and he eventually looked to the others. "So, did any of you happen to bring me some clothes. I really wouldn't mind getting out of this thing," he nodded downward towards his gown.

"Oh," the prince perked up, spinning around to snatch up the bag behind him, "Yeah, I grabbed some of your stuff, wasn't sure what you would want, so I just grabbed a bunch of it." Gently, he tossed the bag over to land on the bed next to the other, who in turn gave his thanks. He dug through it, his fingers clasping around his usual leopard print pants, but he swiftly dropped those with a quiet groan; those probably weren't the best option. In the end, he settled on a simple t-shirt and shorts...something that would be easy enough to get into.

He didn't need to ask, it was already assumed that he would need at least a little bit of assistance in getting to the bathroom. The brunet was the one to step in and lend that hand, and surprisingly, Prompto didn't protest. But, once he was in, he refused any further aid, stubbornly assuring that he was perfectly capable of getting dressed by himself. Which wasn't a lie; it took a bit of time and more than a meager amount of fumbling, but at some point he was able to get changed. Once done, he took a few moments to relax.

"See? No problem," he huffed out as he pushed the door open and stepped out. The bandaged stump was clearly visible now out of one of the legs, but no one looked for too long, and not a soul said a word about it.

With that done, and all of his belongings packed and ready, the adviser stepped out to find someone who could get things taken care of. While he was gone, Prompto had decided he was much more comfortable sitting in one of the chairs than he was that damn bed. He leaned back and let out a small sigh of contentment, and it didn't take long for his eyes to start to slide shut.

A few minutes later, Ignis returned with a frazzled looking doctor in tow, his face and demeanor shifting to one that held more compassion the moment he stepped through the doorway. "Argentum?" he questioned, intense hazel gaze locating the patient with ease. Prompto cracked an eye open at the sound of his name and hummed his acknowledgement.

Just like his first time, they went over how things should be carried out, despite having discussed the majority of this the day before. He guessed they just wanted to make sure it was clear and everyone involved was up to speed. The blond, however, barely paid attention having already soaked it all in. He went over it enough by now to repeat it word for word. It took close to half an hour for him to explain everything he found to be important, and by the end of it, the blond was struggling to stay awake.

"If no one has any questions…" he left the sentence hanging, waiting for anyone to speak up. When no one uttered a word, he pushed walked towards the door, "I'll be back shortly with your paperwork then," he nodded, offering a tight smile as he turned his back to them.

"Got everything you need?" the adviser asked, switching his attention to Prompto who gave a gesture of confirmation in return.

"I think so," he mumbled, forcing himself to stay awake and re-adjusting himself to keep from knocking out on the spot. As he was sitting up and stretching his leg out, the door creaked back open, and he looked over through hazy eyes; his vision clouded from being in the middle of a yawn. 'That was quick,' he thought, unable to make out who it was just yet.

As his eyes adjusted, the first thing he could discern was that familiar scruff of blonde hair and his heart stiffened as it dawned on him. "Sorry to keep ya boys waitin'," she greeted, walking right in without a care in the world.

"C-Cindy?!" he exclaimed, sitting up with a jolt, his eyes now wide and seeing things perfectly clearly. "I, uh, I thought it was going to, you know, take a little longer," he glared over to Ignis as he said this.

Leaning on one leg and putting her hands on her hips, she turned her head slightly to the side in question. "A little longer? I'd say it took more time than it 'oughtta. Was havin' a bit o' trouble gettin' the ol' girl to start up." Her hands moved from her sides to cross over her chest, and Prompto was sure she was his angel ready to guide him off to heaven.

"Car trouble?" Ignis asked, sounding sceptical considering who he was talking to.

"Mmm hmm," she blonde hummed, her face looking just as concerned as his. "I wouldn't be gettin' all worked up over it though. Had 'er workin' again in no time. All it took was a little bit o' tweaking and she was purrin' again like a coeurl in a field of catnip."

With a quick readjustment of her hat, Cindy finally brought her focus over to Prompto, and he practically shrunk under her gaze. He didn't know what he was expecting, whether it was pity, shock or surprise, but whatever it was, it never came. "I reckon yer about ready to head out."

"Uh, you could say that," he replied, shifting in a way where it was obvious he was trying to block view to his other leg. "Still got to wait a bit longer though," he sighed, tossing his head back to rest on the back of the chair.

"Well, Imma go let paw-paw know it'll still be a bit. I tried to get 'em to come in, but he's bein' stubborn and wanted ta wait outside," she shook her head and gave the five of them a small wave before heading back towards the door. "I'll be back in a few," she promised before disappearing once again.

The blond let out a stretched breath and tension left him. Keeping his composure was more difficult than he had anticipated. "How the hell are you going to ride the whole way with her?" Gladio asked, his teasing tone back at a hundred percent in the blink of an eye. Prompto was just thankful he didn't say anything in front of the woman.

"Shuddup," he replied swiftly, making himself appear even smaller, if that was at all possible.

The shield could only laugh to himself, knowing that he hit a nerve and feeling damn proud of it as well. He left it at that, figuring he gave the poor guy enough of a hard time for the moment; there'd be plenty of opportunities for that later. Plus, there wasn't time for that, his doctor soon returned with papers in hand and held them out for the gunner to take. Unlike before, he accepted them, making sure he filled them out for himself.

There was no objection from the adviser either, he'd let him handle this for himself, but when it came to actually leaving, he'd be sure to offer any help he could. They all waited until he had the last of it signed and handed the finished product to whoever happened to be standing closest, which at this point was Noctis. "There, all done," he breathed out in relief. Finally, he was done with this place, for good this time.

By the time he hefted himself back up, the mechanic had returned, but this time she placed herself right outside the door to allow the rest of them room to exit. As the last of them left, she fell into an easy-going stroll behind them, a slight bounce accentuating her step.

The entire trip down went by without incident, the papers were handed in and everything was set in order; he was now free to go. Honestly, he felt like crying from the sheer joy of it, but his pride and dignity had returned enough for him to hold himself together, especially now that Cindy was present. So, he swallowed his emotions and followed the others out the front entrance, but he ceased his movement the moment the fresh air hit him. It was hard to believe how much one could miss the outdoors in such a short amount of time. All he could do was stand there and soak it all in.

"Beautiful day, ain't it?" Cindy asked, coming to a stop next to him to gaze up at the sky, one of her hands raising to block her eyes from the intense rays.

The blond muttered an agreement, his gaze slowly drifting over to steal a few glances at her. "It is pretty nice...but, I guess there's plenty of time to look at it on the way back," he half shrugged, working towards catching up with the others.

"I suppose you're right," she replied, following into step behind him, but making sure to keep a reasonable distance. "I may be favorin' when I say this, but that view from Hammerhead puts this 'un to shame," she drawled out, almost dreamily.

"Maybe I'll actually be able to get some nice shots this time around," he added, seeing as last time they were there, they were in a hurry and he never got that chance.

This sparked up a bit of the woman's uppity personality. "And hey, if yer ever needin' a model for a few, I wouldn't mind lendin' a hand," she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder in passing, heading straight to the back door to open it for him. "We're not leavin' just yet, so don't worry," she swiftly assured after his expression dropped. "Ya don't think we'd just swipe ya right away, did ya?"

He practically froze in his tracks, his upper body continuing its forward momentum and causing him to stumble. "Oh, well...I mean. If you insist, I wouldn't complain, haven't tried anything with someone modeling before, so it could be interesting. But, that's only if you don't mind, of course…" he rambled on, quickly losing his train of thought. He clamped up instantly when he glanced back up to see her standing a few feet away.

"You feelin' alright there sweety?" she asked, her face dawned with concern as she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "You're lookin' a little flushed."

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he promised, pulling away from her touch.

She removed her hand, but she didn't look convinced. "Alright, if ya say so," she shrugged, deeming he was being honest enough; at least, it didn't feel like he had a fever to her. "But remember, we can't be havin' ya pushin' yerself," she reminded. If it would have been anyone else, he may have rolled his eyes, but for some reason, he was at a loss for words in that moment. All he could do was nod along and try his best to stay standing. "Well, feel free to go ahead and have a seat, I'm guessin' the others will be here in a minute."

"I think they're just grabbing a few things from the Regalia," he assumed, scooting himself into the back set, leaving his leg to hang off the side. He began kicking it out of nervous habit as they waited.

He glanced over as Cindy leaned against the truck next to him, and his hands were clasped in his lap in an instant. "So, you're gonna be livin' with us for a while, huh?" Prompto jerked and whipped his head in the direction of the gruff voice. Right, he had almost forgotten Cid was there as well, he hadn't spoken a word until now. "Don't expect us to be goin' easy on ya now just cuz of what happened," he said lightly.

"Oh, I, uh, I don't expect you to," the blond replied, voice shaking slightly. There was a few seconds of silence before a soft and amused chuckle

"Settle down, lad, I'm just pullin' yer le-….er, messin' with ya." Prompto curled his lips inward at the tasteless saying, but it genuinely sounded like it was an accident. Unlike Gladio, most people had a bit more compassion when it came to such things.

"Paw-paw!" Cindy proclaimed, her tone serious and a bit upset. "You can't be sayin' stuff like that, it just ain't right."

If the gunner wasn't embarrassed before, then he sure as hell was now. "It's fine," he spoke up, sounding small. "It was a slip of the tongue, it happens." He gave a small laugh of his own to try and lighten things up before they could escalate any further. "He didn't mean anything by it.

At that, the blonde settled back against the vehicle. "I know, but still. Ya gotta start thinkin' before you go around sayin' the wrong thing," she shook her head and placed one over her forehead to cup it.

"That was my bad," Cid held up a hand. "Just habit 'an all," he waved it, brushing it off just like that, Which, to be honest, Prompto preferred if it were just dropped and forgotten about. And, he prayed it wasn't going to be like this the whole time. "Better to laugh about than cry about it," he mumbled under his breath, luckily only being heard by Prompto. His eyes shifted uncomfortably at that, but he allowed it to slide.

"Oh, well here they come," Cindy pushed herself off to wave the others over, and the gunner watched in fascination at the way she bounced slightly on her tiptoes to make sure she got their attention. "Hey!" she called, even though they had already spotted her and were head straight there.

The four of them approached, both Gladio and Noctis bearing luggage, and Iris carrying the basket and plush from before. At the sight of them, he felt a tad bad for having forgotten them and hoped she wouldn't take that too personally. He doubted she would, but he couldn't keep the doubtful thoughts from forcing their way in.

"Y'all can just toss that stuff in the back," she jabbed a thumb towards the back of the truck along with a bob of her head. "I'll reckon it should be safe enough along the journey...well, considerin' you don't 'ave anythin' too fragile on those bags of yers."

"It should be fine," Prompto dismissed, waving his hand. Only thing remotely fragile was his camera, and that thing had proved to be pretty damn fragile. He sat and watched on his belongings were stored away, ready to be transported, and it was all becoming too real now. He quickly drifted off in thought, losing his surroundings as his imagination wandered.

"Prom." His eyes snapped up to Noctis, standing but a foot away; he didn't know when he had gotten there.

Glancing around for a second, trying to figure out how the hell that happened, he muttered a quiet, 'huh?'

Folding his arms, the prince shifted his weight, looking a tad concerned. "I asked if you were hungry. We're probably gonna go somewhere to eat, so figured we could all go. No one's in a rush, so it's not a big deal."

Prompto went to reply, but his mouth froze partially open and he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was a child, being pulled along by what he assumed to be his mother. But, that's not what bothered him. It was the look of morbid curiosity on his face. He couldn't have been more the six or seven, so it was understandable. Still, the kid was looking right in his direction...and pointing. "Uh, I-I dunno," he finally replied, looking back to the raven.

It didn't take a genius to figure out his hesitation, but Noctis went along. "Or, we can do take-out or something and head back to the hotel," he offered, kindly. "That sound good?" Without tearing his gaze away, the blond nodded eagerly. As much as it bothered him, he knew he'd have to get used to going out in public and get used to stares, but it was still far too fresh to deal with that just yet.

"You guys can go ahead and head to the hotel, and we'll be back shortly," Ignis said, waving the others along, only to stop mid step. Closing the short distance back up, he sheepishly handed over the key. "You will probably need this, I would assume," he added with a touch of humor, mentally slapping himself for almost forgetting.

"Thank ya," Cindy replied, accepting it. "Try not ta keep us waitin' too long if ya can 'elp it." She flashed him a quick smile before rounding to the driver's side and hopping in, wasting no time in starting it up. It took a couple attempts, but it soon roared to life and Prompto could feel the engine vibrating through him.

He looked up in time to see a set of blues looking at him through the rearview mirror. "Sorry if things get a little bumpy, she's still bein' a feisty thing."

"It's all good," he sighed, pulling himself the rest of the way in and closing his own door. Faster than was probably necessary, he pulled his own seatbelt over him. It's not that he didn't trust her driving, but well, it wasn't Ignis, so that was reason enough to take precautions. Not a moment later and they were off, and this was definitely not the smooth sailing he was used to. But, then again, it was difficult to match the silkiness of the Regalia. Thank the astrals it wasn't a long ride…

When they arrived, he took a few seconds to get his bearings, mostly thankful for the fact that he was still alive. If it weren't for the obvious, he'd be out of this thing as soon as it stopped. Taking a deep breath, he pushed his door open and took a few more inhales of fresh air. By the time he was fully composed Cindy was already standing next to his door. "Ready to get goin'?" she asked, holding the key between two of her fingers.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he responded, hopping down with both hands holding onto the door frame. Once he had his balance, he grabbed his crutches and was relieved help wasn't offered once. That was a nice change at least.

He heard the passenger side creak open next as Cid hopped down and let out a groan as he stretched his back. "Ain't used to these trips like I used to be," he sighed, a couple cracks sounding out from his back.

"Well, ya had a chance to stretch yer legs back there," his granddaughter reminded with a small huff. He did nothing but flick his hand in response and mumbled incoherently under his breath. "Swear he's as stubborn as they come," she said, turning back to Prompto. "Death himself could come-a-knockin' and he'd still act like nothin's wrong. Sometimes I wish he'd learn to take better care of 'imself."

Prompto pursed his lips slightly at that and glanced away, not like he could say anything. Again, the elder man muttered something, something that sounded like a denial to him. And, he couldn't help but smile at that. There was just something about older people that never failed to entertain. "I dunno, he seems pretty full of life to me," the blond said, giving the other a sly grin.

She returned it and readjusted her hat. "Oh, you dunno the half o' it. He can be a real handful back at the shop."

"You two comin' or not," his gruff voice called back as he slowly turned to face them. "I ain't gettin' any younger, so I suggest you get a move on."

Folding her arms, Cindy stepped forward. "Yeah yeah, we're commin', hold yer chocobos. Let's go before he blows a fuse," she rolled her eyes, stopping to give Prompto enough to time to catch up before continuing on. She held the door for him and he squeezed on in, trying to get behind closed doors before others had the chance to catch sight of him. Of course, the fact that there were normally people sitting around in the lobby slipped his mind.

There, he received more than one interested glance, no one stared though, but it was clear they noticed. How could they not. He had never felt more self-conscious in his life; when he was younger didn't even compare. And, Cindy must have noticed the way he glanced around, or how he instinctively shuffled a little closer, almost as if he were trying to hide from view. In response to this, she placed a firm hand on his back and gave a gentle, yet solid shove, forcing him to start walking ahead of her.

"No use'n tryin' hide it. So long as ya carry yerself with dignity, I guarantee no one's gonna say a thing," she encouraged, never phased for a moment.

Prompto was hesitant at first as he swallowed down a large lump. He could practically feel eyes on him. Taking a deep breath, he gave one curt nod, one he assumed she could make out from behind him. "Alright," he mumbled to himself, and carried on without stopping this time. Of course, it didn't stop any curious scans, or him from feeling exposed, but he was able to reach the stairs without any sort of breakdown. Which, honestly, was more than enough for him.

And from there, they eventually made it to the room. The journey up had been just as tedious and just as difficult as last time, only difference was, he had enough practice with this. This didn't mean he was any less out of breath or any less tired though. He paused at the top, leaning against the rail and took that opportunity to take a short break. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see that Cid still hadn't reached the top. Well, at least that gave him a less humiliating excuse for stopping.

Moving his attention over to Cindy, he nodded down the hall, "Our room is that way." Without needing to say more, she journeyed on and took the lead, not waiting for her grandfather. She didn't need to, as slow as he was, he was perfectly capable, and stubborn, to make it up on his own.

"That's it," Prompto announced as they passed by. He could hear the older man's footsteps behind him now, so no more worrying about that.

"Alright, here we go then," she unlocked and pushed the door open and instantly switched the light on. Her breath caught for a moment. "What happened here?" she wondered aloud, scanning over the mess: clothes littered the floor, and there were barely any dishes washed. "Looks like a tornado ran a muck through 'ere." She scratched just under her hat and walked further in, the blond right behind her.

This was a bit of a shock for him as well, he wasn't used to seeing their place look like this, not with Ignis around anyway. But, it appeared as though no one even attempted to keep it decent looking. "Maybe they hadn't had much time?" he guessed, knowing full well that was total bullshit. "It's not that bad though," he brushed off, using one of his crutches to push a shirt aside.

"Not that bad?" Cid questioned skeptically upon entering. "Hell, the garage back in Hammerhead looks more habitable than this." He stepped in towards the center of the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Just try not to say anythin' when they git back," Cindy pleaded, at least knowing when was and was not the right time for things like that. "Besides, they aren't normally like this, well, not when they stay in the camper anyway," she shrugged, giving the benefit of the doubt.

He waved a hand in her direction. "Keep yer head on, I ain't that unreasonable. What kind of person do you take me for?" he shuffled his way over to the nearest chair and scooped all the clothes off onto the floor in order to have a seat. "So long as I don't find anythin' decomposing in 'ere, I won't say a word." He crossed his legs and leaned back, appearing as though nothing were awry.

His granddaughter gave a slight smirk and crossed her arms. "Now, if only you could stay like that," she muttered, wondering how long he'd be able to hold his tongue. Knowing him, it probably wouldn't last long.

Still surprised by the state of the room, the gunner slowly worked his way through, unsure how to process all this; it bothered him, more than it should have. It wasn't like the room was destroyed or gross or anything, but it was unsettling for him to see. Without much thought, he moved to one of the beds and settled down there, his concerned gaze still hovering around the room and locking onto each thing out of place before moving on.

"Everythin' alright?" He jerked his head towards the other and simply nodded,

"Uh, yeah, just thinking." Prompto hadn't realized, but he had been staring, unblinking, at a single spot for about a minute. "Sorry, must have drifted off for a moment," he chuckled, blinking after noticing how dry his eyes were.

They didn't get a chance to address anything, there was a knock at the door, and the muffled voices coming from the other side were obvious to discern. "Hope we didn't keep you guys waiting," Ignis announced the moment he was through the door, a few bags in hand. Gladio came in behind him, hauling a few of his own. "It's nothing too fancy," he off-handedly apologized, dropping the things on the table, having to push a couple mugs aside to make room. "But, I suppose it will suffice."

"I'm sure it's fine, it ain't like yer servin' royalty or nothin'," Cindy joked, jumping over to assist in unloading everything and getting things set up. It didn't take too long; luckily there were enough clean plates and silverware for everyone. Chairs were the only issue, but no one had any objections to sitting on beds or the other chairs. From the looks of it, Cid seemed pretty comfortable where he was anyway.

Everything was ready, the food was laid out, what places there were at the table were prepared to be occupied, and the adviser was busy getting drinks for everyone. Prompto, Cindy, Noctis and Gladio were all seated at the table while the others made themselves comfortable in the other room. Now that everything was situated and ready, they fell into pleasant conversation; for the first time in a while, there was little to no tension, everyone was simply enjoying the moment for what it was.

By the end of it, they just sat there, the talking now dying down, the morning had long since delved into the afternoon. Time had just been lost to them. Silence had once again reared its ugly head and the weight of the day was breathing down the backs of their necks once again. There was a few shifts and movements, only being broken when Ignis pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. "I think we should be leaving by tonight, and, I don't think I need to point out that some cleaning up is in order." He cleared his throat awkwardly and began to collect everyone's plates.

"I'll lend a hand," Iris offered, followed by a grunt from her brother as he joined in to do the same. The others, on the other hand, hadn't made a move. The gunner and prince both had their hands crossed on the table, neither of them raising their eyes from the wooden surface. Cindy was the only one that didn't have a depressed aura wafting off her form.

"You fellas look as though yer attendin' a funeral," she sighed, placing her hands flat on the table to push herself up. Keeping them there, she leaned forward slightly. "This isn't the end of tha world, y'know, and it ain't like we're takin' 'em to the other side of the world. I'm sure you guys'll be passin' through plenty of times, so you won't 'ave to go too long without seeing one another."

Taking a deep breath, Prompto straightened up and let his hands fall away. "I know, and I know we're probably making this overly dramatic and all," he tried to agree light-heartedly, "but, it still doesn't feel right. I'm not going to complain about it, and I won't try to argue. This is the best option, and I don't blame anyone."

"Won't be the same, will it?" Noctis muttered, his own arms moving to cross over his chest. "It's gonna take some getting used to, but she's right. I'm sure we'll need to pass through at least every other week with the way our luck goes." At that, Cindy gave a small satisfied grin.

"Ya see there, no biggy." She stood up straight and put her hands on her hips in her usual way. "Now, do you 'ave anythin' else that needs packin', or is at all already in the truck and ready ta go?"

The gunner took a quick glance around the room and saw nothing. "Nah, I-I think that's everything," he said slowly as he continued to double check his surroundings. "Everything I can take with me, anyway," he added, wincing as a sharp pain shot through with his next re-adjustment. "I'm guessing it's about time to get going then?" he asked, with a small amount of hope in his tone.

Cindy took a heavy breath, but her grandfather beat her to it. "Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we've already left the shop for too long. Not like there's many options for people around those parts." He stood up, an apologetic look on his face and a smidge of sorrow in his eyes. "We should really get back as soon as possible."

"I understand," the blond nodded, working his way up. It took him a moment before he could look the others over, the other three even ceasing their tidying up to meet his gaze. "Well, at least it makes it easier having already gone through this once before," he chuckled, emptily.

"Well, you heard the woman," Gladio cut in before things could get too heavy, "we aren't exactly strangers around those parts. Which means it probably won't even _be_ a week before we end up having to head that way."

Prompto shook his head, knowing the man was right. "Yeah yeah, like I said, making this a bigger deal than it has to be. Guess I just have a flaw that makes me get overly attached to things." His mouth tightened into a firm line, and he looked to each of them, then to Cindy where his gaze rested for a longer moment. "I think I'm ready whenever you guys are," he let out, allowing them to make the final decision. There was no way he was capable of that right now, if it were up to him, no one would ever move.

"If ya'ave everythin' together, then we can hit the road," she replied, waving a hand for Cid to come along,

He followed over, hesitating once he reached them and was none too oblivious to the expressions of the others. "Don't you guys go worryin' now, we aren't gonna let anythin' happen. Everyone just stop feelin' sorry fer yerselves and pull yerselves together," he said, a look of confidence on his face. "By the time this is all over with, you'll all look back and realize how ridiculous it all was."

"Forever well spoken," the prince shot back sarcastically, but he didn't sound the least bit upset by it. If anything, there was appreciation. "But, I'm sure you're right, but for now, I think I'll stick to being sceptical."

Gladio had to smirk at that, "We wouldn't expect anything less out of the princess." For the sake of the moment, that comment was thoroughly ignored, not so much as a glare was received.

Walking over to give his friend a solid, yet gentle, clap on the back, Noctis held his attention for a few seconds before finding the right words. "Try to take care. And, try to focus on yourself, we'll be alright. Won't be the same, but we'll manage somehow." He had to keep his voice low, and even then, the roughness was coming through marginally.

"I will," Prompto promised, forcing himself to look away and follow after the others. "I'll see you guys...whenever."


	10. Do it Right This Time

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting,** istoleyourcheesecake **and** **DragonRiderSayomi**

 **So, I believe there will only be two more chapters after this one. ;w;**

* * *

 **websky : And now that I got a feel for her, I kind of wanna try and add her into others. She's so freaking fun to write, and I expected it to be so much more intimidating. :D**

 **Bagpipes5K2 : Hnnng, thank you. I actually had a ton of fun writing them. Especially Cindy, I thought she'd be more intimidating to write. I feel like a lot of the teasing and jokes are for the sake of keeping their sanity. And yeah, I found the best cure for feelings like that is distraction. It might not be a healthy one, but it's one that works, at least for a little bit. But like you said, it's the bight, when you're lying there with just your thoughts that things really start to hit you and sink in. And boy, it's not fun. Also, glad the hotel room was noticed and appreciated. XD I was hoping deep down that someone would notice it and all. But, at least it is only a temporary separation. They'll be going through pretty often, so at least they won't be gone for too long.**

* * *

Throughout most of the ride, they were silent. Nothing but the muffled and static-filled tunes of the radio filled the air. In a sense, it was welcomed, but on the other hand, it was just plain grating. Every pothole, and every bump they hit, the sound would hitch, causing white noise to take over for a couple of seconds. Not to mention, when the music was shining through, it was mostly generic country; and not even the upbeat kind.

Prompto leaned his face against the window, the heat soaking through and warming up his cheek upon contact. He let out a heavy sigh and took to watching the scenery zip by. There wasn't exactly much to look at, but whenever he did spot something mildly interesting, he made sure his attention stayed locked on until it was no longer in view. But, every now and then, he saw the glance Cindy took in the rear view mirror. Neither of them said anything about it, and for that, he was thankful. He really wasn't in the mood for talking at the moment. She must have picked up on that as well with how quiet she was being. Something that he knew was so unlike her.

With another deep breath, he finally pulled his head away after about half an hour and placed it back in his seat. His hand then went to brush his bangs out of his face, and damn he really needed a shower. He wasn't used to his hair being this… disheveled for this long. Not to mention he hated the way it looked when he did nothing to it. In a moment of pure frustration, he ruffled it, not caring what it looked like beyond that. Just so long as it didn't look so flat and plain.

That must have been a little more dramatic than he had expected because not one, but two pairs of eyes glanced back at him. He found himself instantly looking away and acting as though he was still looking out of the window, like he hadn't noticed them cutting their eyes back.

"Is everythin' alright back there?" Cindy questioned, keeping the tone light and casual.

The gunner merely hummed, signalling that all was dandy and well, but he never took his sights off the landscape, his face the spitting image of distance and nonchalance. She just knit her brows and focused back on the road. They only managed to make it a few more feet before something popped and a subdued complaint left her lips. It was far too quiet to know if it were a swear or not, but he assumed it was safe enough to assume.

He sat up a little as she let out another huff and pulled the truck over. "What's wrong?" he asked just as she removed the keys and went to open the door.

"Nothin' too serious, the ol' girl is jus' havin' one of those days," she assured, hopping down to the ground. Cindy left the door open so as to still hear the others. Popping the front open, she coughed against the fumes for a moment and took a step back. "Might wanna get comfy," she warned. "This could take a bit of time." She put her hands on her hips in annoyance and went towards the trunk. "You mind givin' me a hand?"

Prompto perked up at that, and there was no way he could refuse her a bit of assistance; it would have been equivalent to blasphemy in his eyes. "Y-yeah, no problem," he chimed in, a little too eagerly. And he was glad she couldn't see his face right then with the heat he felt there. He pushed his door open and slowly worked his way out; simple things like this were still a bit awkward and difficult, but he was sure he'd get used to it. Given some time, that is.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked, hobbling over to stand a couple of feet away from her. Without a word, she waved him along, back to the front of the vehicle. He didn't ask any questions as he followed, but his curiosity was pretty up there.

As he rounded, he winced at the amount of smoke that was puffing up, and he felt a bit wary about the whole thing; this couldn't be safe… or normal. "Uh, are you sure this is alright?" he asked shakily, eyes nervously shifting from the smoke to her.

"This is nothin'," she brushed off. "If I thought there was any danger in this, do ya think I woulda brought it all tha way out 'ere?" She flashed him a quick smile and tapped the hood. "I just need ya to make sure this stays propped up fer me. It's been a stubborn one lately an' all." That was it? That's all he had to do? He didn't want to admit it, but it was a little disappointing to only be needed for something so small. But, he guessed it couldn't be helped; it wasn't like he knew a whole lot about cars and whatnot. Sure, there was a bit of general knowledge, but she was on another whole level. Just to be expected of such a goddess.

He did as he was asked with a positive attitude and didn't complain. As she worked, Prompto stood idly by, listening to the clinks of her work and was honestly mesmerized by how easy she made it all appear. Of course, he didn't understand a thing she was doing, but for some reason, it was purely captivating. "Jus' need'ta tighten a few more things, and voilà!" She stepped back and swiped at her forehead with the back of her hand, smearing a good bit of soot across it.

"You got a little…" Prompto gestured to his own forehead and trailed off.

"Hmm?" she hummed, then understanding what he was saying and going to wipe it away, only managing to add to the grime. "Better?"

The blond watched on as she just made it worse. "Uhh, yeah, you got it," he gave an awkward thumbs up and handed the hood over as she went to take over. Slamming it down to make sure it shut on the first try, she gave Prompto a pat on the shoulder on the way by. "Are we good to go now?" he asked, hoping deep down that she'd say know, wanting the opportunity to watch her, even if for a bit longer. Even though he knew he'd be seeing a lot of that for a while.

"I believe so. I didn't see anymore problems while I was lookin' at'er," Cindy called from around the truck, tossing her tools back into the back of it. "Now, let's jus' hope she behaves until we make it back to Hammerhead," she chirped, waiting for Prompto to get back in before she jumped back in the driver's seat. Giving the mechanic a nod, he reluctantly hopped back in and got situated. It wasn't long after that for them to be on their way again. Just like that, the previous tunes filled the truck again, and he was left to his thoughts once more.

* * *

For the remainder of the time, Prompto had barely been paying attention, but as soon as they slowed down and he felt the vehicle turning, he became aware of his surroundings. It felt like it had merely been a few minutes; had that much time really passed? He sat up, blinking heavily a few times and taking a deep breath. "That was fast," he muttered.

"I don't know what you define as fast, but that felt like an eternity to me," Cid half griped from the front, turning his head from side to side in attempt to rid it of its kinks and aches. "Ready to hurry up and get out and stretch my legs," he added under his breath, fidgeting in his seat.

"Well, I guess I just expected it to take a little bit longer," the gunner shrugged, wiggling a bit himself to get some of the feeling back in his bad side. "I'm not complaining or anything, getting out definitely sounds ideal right about now." He let out a relieved sigh once they came to a stop and was more than eager to hurry his way out. There was a slight hiss as the movement jostled him, but it was held back enough to be noticed by the others.

Once he was balanced, he rolled his shoulders back and relished at the way they popped and settled back into comfort. He took a moment to gaze over the place, none of it totally sinking in yet, it was so surreal. Taking a deep breath, it was nearly instantly knocked back out of him when a quite forceful hand clapped him on the back. Gasping, he shot his attention to his right.

"Here we are, home sweet home," Cid announced, giving the younger man a reassuring smile before walking off towards the garage. Prompto watched the way he walked, the way he hobbled as he went and his own hands tightened around the grips.

"I reckon this 'ere will be home for a while," Cindy pulled him out of his thoughts as she stepped up next to him. "I'm sure you'll grow to love this place after a day a two. Sure, it's a little rough 'round the edges, but it's really quite wonderful."

He was barely listening, he was too busy watching as she gazed off past the garage, and how the light hit the hair the peeked out from her hat at just the right angle. And, not to mention the wa-

"Hey, you in there?"

Prompto jumped, his eyes darting away in a flash. "Uh, y-yeah, everything's fine, I'm listening. Heard everything loud and clear," he blurted out, clearing his throat oddly once it was all out. "So, um, where will I be staying exactly?"

The blonde woman blinked a few times, as if the question caught her off guard. "That's a good question, I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead," she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.

At that moment, he caught the camper out of the corner of his eye. "If there isn't room anywhere else, I wouldn't mind staying in there," he offered jabbing a thumb towards the trailer. "We've had to stay there a few times, and it's honestly not that bad."

She raised an eyebrow at that proposal. "Are ya sure 'bout that? It's alright for crashing durin' tha night or somethin', but you'll be 'ere for more than a night," she sounded honestly displeased by the thought of that. "And, it's not tha cleanest of places. No one normally keeps tha place clean or nothin'..."

"Well, now I can keep it clean," he smirked, hoping she'd go along with it. If he were telling the truth, he really didn't know how he'd feel about sleeping in the same building as her. Even if it were going to be in two different rooms, it would just feel weird to him. "Plus, if I'm gonna be helping out around the shop and all, I'd pretty much only be using it to sleep in anyway," he shrugged.

She thought about it for a moment. "You do make a good point. An' if ya really wanna, then who am I to say no? Not like it gets much use anyway." Clapping her hands together, she made her way back over to the truck. "Better start movin' ya in then," she sounded out, grabbing a couple of bags with ease. At the sight of that, Prompto didn't know what to think… weren't those bags a bit heavy. But, here she was, carrying them as if they weighed barely nothing.

"You sure you got those?" he asked, seeing that she clearly did, but it didn't hurt to at least offer.

She paused to look over her shoulder, "I don't see why I wouldn't, they aren't that heavy." His mouth formed a thin line and he just nodded in response. Why wasn't he surprised. And, now that he thought about it, he doubted he would have been able to help out with them even though he wanted to.

All he could do was follow after her and hope she didn't have any mishaps on the way over; not that he expected her to, but there was always that possibility. Again, if she even were to falter, what could he do? Luckily, there was no incidents on the way over, and she pushed her way through and plopped his belongings on the counter.

"And there we go. Fer tha sake of yer dignity, I'll let ya do the unpacking yourself. That is, unless you ain't got anythin' ta hide, of course," she winked teasingly, not realizing just how much he wanted to hide the more she spoke.

"No, no," he replied without hesitation, "I think I can handle that myself." He gave a forced smile and went to step between her and his bags.

She in turn gave a sheepish grin and stepped back, bowing her head as she backed her way out of the door. "Well, that 'bout does it then. I'll leave ya to it. It's getting late anyway." She paused halfway out to gaze back into the empty interior. "This place isn't stocked either, so if ya get hungry or anythin', then come on over. I figure tomorrow we can do some shoppin' or somethin' to get a few things."

Jeez, she really couldn't be more of a blessing. She already went out of her way to pick him up, and was even going to let him stay in her home. And then there was the carrying his things and offering so much when she didn't have to. The blond roughly shook his head when he realized he was staring again. "You don't have to," he replied, "I mean, you guys have already done plenty."

"Don't be silly," she waved a hand. "It's really not a big deal. And remember, you'll be payin' us back with work as soon as ya can. So, it's only fair." Really, she could not have been any better than she already was.

"If it's really not a problem," he mumbled, unsure of what else he could say. He shuffled nervously on the spot, feeling as though the slightest movement and he'd no longer be on his feet. Why did he always get like this?

She gave him one last wave and a quick, "If ya need any 'elp, ya know where ta find me." And she was gone, letting the door fall shut behind her. Now alone, Prompto breathed in a shuddering breath and slowly lowered himself onto the meager couch, if it could be called that, and took a moment just to collect himself.

"Calm down," he whispered to himself, "not like you have a chance in the world." He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments before glancing back around the place. It felt so much larger than normal, so much more space than he was used to, yet somehow, it just seemed more constricting. "Guess I better start unpacking," he uttered, pulling the first bag over.

The first thing he grabbed was the bag of medication Ignis had handed him before they left. Chewing on his lip, he took out each one and lined them up on the table, staring at them for longer than he should have. Gods how he couldn't stand to look at them, but there was no avoiding them… His left hand dropped to his thigh, trailing down to feel that oh so unnatural curve… not this time.

Tomorrow… that's when he'd have to start keeping up with them and keeping track. He'd have to fall back into the damn routine he despised so much. His fingers curled at the thought of it. 'If only I'd done it right the first damn time.'

He forced his gaze away and began taking other things out: clothes, chargers, his camera, and photos that had slipped to the bottom of the first bag. His fingers just glanced over them, but he chose to leave those in there, for now anyway. There was no use in taking them out and risk them getting lost or damaged. Carefully, he placed the luggage on the other side of the sofa and pulled over the next to start emptying that one next.

It was about the same in terms of contents, they didn't really bring much else other than some extra clothes. It was supposed to be a simple trip and all, so who would've guessed that they would have ended up running into so many obstacles along the way? He placed one pile of clothes after another onto the table until he was left with another empty bag. And, that was it. All that was left was to put things in drawers, or wherever there was room for them.

At the same time though, he was rather tired and wasn't sure he was up for the challenge yet. Yawning, he sank further into the cushion and checked the time on his phone. It was only six in the afternoon, far too early to call it a night in his opinion. But, his body had other plans, and he was finding that the longer he delayed getting things done, the more comfortable this position was. It took a few minutes, and, at some point, he figured he could at least try to make it to the bed before he crashed.

It took a bit of willpower, more than he thought he had, to get himself back in a somewhat standing position. As he stood there, he glanced back at the things on the table, looking from his clothes to the bottles and blew out a heavy breath.

"Tomorrow," he muttered, not looking forward to it. He almost didn't even want to go to sleep with the knowledge that it would only make the morning come that much faster. And he would have, too, if it weren't for his body's constant nagging and complaining for sleep. "You've been doing barely anything but resting," he reminded himself with a roll of his eyes.

He thought back to being in the hospital for all those days, and he couldn't forget just how many times he had been woken up for one reason or another. Ok, so maybe he really hadn't gotten as much as he thought, but still. It wasn't as if he was doing a lot of activity to warrant this. He realized, the longer he stayed there and debated if he really needed it or not, the more he was convinced that he didn't care and just wanted to call it a day.

"Whatever," he groaned, heading straight for the bed, it now being the only thing on his mind. This was the moment that he knew that choosing to stay in here was the right choice. With the size of this thing, everything was pretty close together, so he wouldn't have to travel far from one end to the other. Upon reaching the sweet bliss, he fell forward, discarding his crutches in the process and not caring that they clattered to the floor. The only thing that mattered was that he made it and was finally ready to die.

He didn't even bother pulling himself up to lie on a pillow or getting under the covers. Nope, he was perfectly content exactly where he was. Prompto had to admit though, even like this, it was far more comfortable than that bed he was stuck in for so long. Pressing his face against the cool sheet, he turned to lie on his right side, getting the pressure off his left to make things a little more comfortable.

As tired as he was, sleep didn't come easily; it was far too quiet, eerily so. All he could hear were the insects on the other side of the walls and the occasional creak from the settling metal. Other than that, there was only silence. Frustrated, he rolled over to his back, ignoring the throbbing that came with it and spread his arms out on either side. There he stared at the ceiling again until he felt over his pocket and traced over the outline of his phone.

Before he even did anything, he already felt that he was being overly needy, that he just had to get over it. He couldn't control himself, though; if he didn't do this, he doubted he'd ever get any sleep. Chastising himself, he pulled the device up and had the contact open and glaring him in the face in a matter of seconds.

'Noct', he read the name over and over, the call button just a tap away.

His thumb hovered over it, tense and trembling from the anticipation. In the end, he gave in to the temptation and quickly tapped down. The phone was against his ear and there he was listening to the ring tone.

 _Ring_

'This is ridiculous, he has better things to do.'

 _Ring_

'I should just hang up and pretend this never happened.'

 _Ring_

'What the hell am I even supposed to say?'

 _Rin- "Prom?"_

He paused, part of him had hoped he wouldn't answer, but deep down, he was glad he did. Swallowing thickly and taking a shaky breath, he finally answered, "Hey, Noct."

* * *

Gods, he was still so tired, yet somehow, it still felt as though he had gotten way more shuteye than the whole week combined. This was a different kind of exhausted. And, by the way the birds sounded and the angle at which the light was shining through, it wasn't hard to piece together why. He was never up this early, he never wanted to be up this early. Prompto only got up at this time when Igni-

He pried his eyes open, keeping them half-lidded until they could grow accustomed to the brightness. Though, that's all it took for him to be able to tell that he was still alone. Or, he thought he was until he heard the door swinging shut. This had him wide awake in an instant. "Hello?" he called out, voice croaky and barely audible. Clearing it, it gave it another go, this time with a bit more force behind it.

No answer. His curiosity took over and he eventually worked up the willpower to sit up; from here, if he were to get in an upright position, he could see the majority of the camper. There was no one there, but he did spot something else, and his shoulders relaxed at the sight and he smirked at the basket and chocobo sitting on the table. Turning to his right, he was just able to catch a figure walking away. It didn't take a genius to tell who it was.

His nerves calming down, he leaned back against the bed, allowing himself to wake up a bit more before moving to get up. The blond only stayed there for a couple of minutes before his hand brushed against his phone and his focus was brought to it. Confused, he picked it up and saw the name on it. Right… he must have fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation; he'd have to apologize for that later.

Gripping it, he raised it to see the time, and again was jolting upright. "Shit," he mumbled, crawling to the foot of the bed, hissing as he moved his bad leg. Reaching down, he grabbed his crutches and immediately hobbled to the other room and started looking over his medicine, figuring out which he needed to take first.

It was weird to him, he shouldn't have felt so anxious about this, but he was. The need to do this right and without a mistake was causing him to fumble with the bottles, nearly dropping a couple of them. If it weren't for his frantic motions, he probably could have had this over with by now, but that wasn't the case. At last, however, he was pretty positive he had things in order. And, it was now that he really wished that he had gotten everything organized ahead of time to prevent such things.

One by one, he took the instructed dosages and had them all lined back up, looking them over once again to make sure he knew when to take them next. This time, he was determined not to screw it up; the thoughts of what else could happen should he mess up nagged him endlessly. He breathed out through his nose and stepped back to look it all over. As he did so, he paused as he picked up on a rather unusual smell, and it didn't take much thinking for him to realize it was him.

"I really need a shower," he muttered, feeling extremely self-conscious and disgusted all of a sudden. Which meant, he'd have to use their bathroom; he'd forgotten when he'd asked to stay here that it didn't have a shower.

He groaned inwardly at the idea of using the same shower Cindy used and swiftly shook his head. That should in no way bother him as much as it did, it was just a shower. Shoving any intrusive thoughts to the back of his head, he haphazardly sorted through his clothing until he found something a bit more suitable for walking around in. Although, the stuff he was wearing was rather comfy, he doubted it would have been appropriate to walk around in. Articles tucked under his arm, he shook away all doubts and shoved his way out the door.

Prompto worked his way over as quickly as he dared, not wanting to be out in the open for longer than necessary, despite the fact that he'd already agreed on heading to town. But, that was beside the point. Before he even reached the shop, he could make out the forms of Cindy and Cid. The former working on something while the other was having a seat and watching on.

"Not much of an early riser, are ya?" the elder man teased, looking at a particularly out of place hair.

"Hmm?" Prompto's face fell slightly and he glanced up, and even he could see bits of hair that had fallen. "Uh, not really. Hey, this feels weird to ask, but could I perhaps… use your bathroom…" he faded off, looking away. "I haven't had a decent wash in a bit." Dang, this was embarrassing.

Chuckling heartily, Cid waved him along. "Like you have to ask, you bathing would be doing all of us a favor," he teased. "We live upstairs though, so watch your step," he warned pointing in the right direction.

"Thanks, and I will," the blond promised, giving the man one more nod of appreciation before stepping by him. The stairs were easy to spot and also not quite as difficult to ascend as those back at the hotel. Though, now that he thought about it, Cid was getting on the older side, and he imagined getting up and down might be a tad challenging for him.

Making it to the top, he glanced around; he'd never even seen this part of the place, it was quite a lot to take in. Right now, he stood on a balcony of sorts, the only other thing being a door. So, he figured it was safe to assume that was where they lived. Opening it, he became aware that he had forgotten to ask exactly where the bathroom was. No matter, trial and error it was. It was a fairly cozy area, not too big and not too small, it was rather perfect for only two people occupying it.

Taking another minute to look around, he spotted the hallway, and what better place to check than there. He slowly headed down it, feeling so out of place as he went. For some reason, this felt almost like he was intruding; he shouldn't be there. Coming across the first room he saw, he peeked in, and the reaction was instant; he yanked his head right back out and nearly slammed the door close. Definitely not the bathroom. The moment he saw a bed with… certain clothes on it, he was out.

Stopping for a moment to calm down, he moved on, this time being a bit more careful about his search. It wasn't until about the last door he checked that he found what he was looking for, and of course it was the last. It was small, and a little hard to move around in, but he wasn't planning on being in here long anyway. All he really needed was to wash his hair. As much as he longed to get a full-on shower, he just didn't see that happening for a while, that and they had been pretty strict on the matter.

He still wasn't sure how to go about this, but he figured he could just sit on the edge and have the water running. Maybe stick his head under the water and do it that way. If would feel a bit odd, but whatever worked. But, it seemed to get the job done. It was on the messy side, yes, but he was able to get mostly clean using this method. The rest of his body would just have to get wiped down, he supposed. It wasn't what he would consider to be clean though…

Changing his clothes was equally as inconvenient, but he knew what to expect with this, so it came a bit more easily than bathing had. Before he knew it, he was changed and only slightly out of breath. Satisfied, it was finally time to head back out, but as he made his move, he noticed the way the left leg of his pants swung.

"Son of a…" he swore, sitting back down and swiftly tying it off. Doing so as quickly as possibly as it still seemed so off-putting to him. Tying the knot as tightly as possible, he gave the getting up another go, and this time he deemed it good enough to move on. Grabbing his discarded apparel, he made his way back out and headed down the stairs. And, although he wasn't perfectly clean, it still felt loads better.

He didn't even make it all the way down the stairs yet before he heard, "You all ready ta head out?"

Prompto instantly shot his attention her way and shouted back his confirmation. "I just have to put these up first," he added, gesturing to his clothes. She waved that she heard and went to wait by the truck for him. He joined her as soon as everything was put up and back in order; it didn't really matter that his hair was still a bit on the disheveled side, it was still far better than it had been.

On the way, they made idle conversation, talking about casual and everyday things. Surprisingly, he was finding talking to her to come a lot more naturally, and it was less of him stumbling over his words like a flustered idiot. There were a few laughs here and there, and for the time being, it was pleasant and he kind of never wanted it to end if that were an option. But, all good things must come to a close, and within no time, she was slowing to a stop.

"Alright, here we are. Anythin' ya need in the camper, now's the time to be gettin' it," she said hopping out of the driver's side with him following soon after. "Can't make many trips away from tha shop."

"I don't need much," he assured, rounding the vehicle to stand next to her. "Just a few things to cook, preferably things that can be microwaved," he shrugged. "Not exactly the best cook."

She set him with an unimpressed expression, "Or ya could jus' come over and eat with us."

"Oh, I dunno. Wouldn't that be a little… ya'know?" he tried, unable to find the right way to put it into words. "It feels like I would be overstepping my boundaries. Just letting me stay where I am is more than enough.

Putting her hands on her hips, she halted and turned on the spot to face him again. "Nonsense, ya think we're jus' gonna stick ya in that thing and let ya fend fer yerself? Now, we don't make things as fancy as yer friend, but I reckon it's good enough."

"If you really don't mind, then I guess it's alright," he finally accepted, finding it rude to decline when she put it like that. Happy with the outcome of that conversation, she carried on, making sure to walk a little slower than she normally would just so that he could keep up without having to push it.

The shopping went quickly, and they left with a bit more than he had anticipated on. He was thinking just a few things, but Cindy had gotten a little carried away with the shopping, her arms loaded with bags. And again, he felt a little bad about being unable to help carry it all, but she insisted that it was alright.

On the way back to the truck, he saw a familiar scene, one that made his skin crawl and itch. It was another kid, this one maybe around six or so; not quite old enough to understand a lot of things, but still old enough to know better than to say things too loud. Still, Prompto could hear every word spoken from the distance. The little boy tugged on his mom's shirt, trying to get her attention without drawing too much attention.

"Mama?" he asked, his eyes shifting over to the blond. "Mama, why's he got only one leg?" his voice hushed and small.

Her eyes glanced over to see what it was he was making such a fuss about, and she was quick to grab hold of his arm and guide him along. "Cut it out," she replied, "It's not polite to stare." Of course, he continued to eye the gunner closely, nothing but innocent curiosity in those bright orbs.

"Are we done here?" Prompto asked, opening the passenger side before she had the chance to answer. "I think I'm ready to go."

"Yeah, that's everythin', jus' need'ta stop at one more place to pick up a few pieces, and I'll be ready to go," she responded, dropping the remainder of the things in the back. She never let her cheery demeanor drop, and no matter how testy and stand-offish he may have seemed in those moments, she kept the spirits high and just continued to be her positive self. And, he could not have asked for anything more. She didn't complain when he wished to stay in the truck while she did her own personal shopping , and she kept the conversation on a high note on the way back.

They returned by about midday, and Cindy brought everything over to the trailer, setting it all out on the table and offered to help put things up. But, he declined, determined to do at least some things for himself. As she left him to himself again, he quickly got to work in sorting through things and putting things up where they belonged. All the while, he kept an eye on the time, watching it closely and getting ready to take the meds again right on the dot.

The closer it got to time for those, the more on edge he became, and once it came down to just a few minutes, he fell into pacing back and forth, not wanting to take them too early, and making sure he wasn't a moment too late. It was any second now. With a couple minutes to go, he sat at the table and started getting them ready, setting an open bottle of water to the side. Only one minute to go, and everything was prepared.

This is how things would be done, he'd make sure of that. No more avoiding what needed to be done, and no more making excuses. He'd do things over, and he'd do them right this time. When the last minute ticked by, he breathed out an exasperated sigh started taking them, ignoring his own conscious mind's complaints against them, and forced them down. No matter how much he was against this, he had to do it.

"Easy peasy," he sighed, relieved that he was that much closer to being done with them for good. "I can do this."


	11. Surprise

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting, istoleyourcheesecake and ****DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Only** **one more chapter after this one.**

* * *

 **Bagpipes5K2 : He needs that more than anything right now. And it really is a beautiful place, especially in the evening. OwO And I imagine there's a lot of crickets and other relaxing sounds. Can you imagine what the stars must be like out there? That was his problem the first time, he didn't have anything to do, so he was able to quickly fall into that self-destructive rut. But here, there's no way they'd let him keep to himself for too long, especially not Cindy anyway. Yeah, still needs those antibiotics if nothing else. Phantom limb is also a thing, and from what I've ready, it's something that has the possibility of never going away. He does still need to hear their voices from time to time to keep sane, I would think. So use to hearing them all the time, and to just have that taken away. And when I had only 2 pulls to take, I had a hard time keeping up with them. XD I think the shower would be the worst for me. I have thin hair, so not showering for a day will look like I haven't bathed in a week, and I always feel so gross.**

 **websky : I thought about where I wanted this to go for a while, but I settled on this, thinking it was for the best. Plus t gave the opportunity to practice with Cindy and Cid. C:**

 **xYukiNoYume : XD I cannot be held accountable for such things. But, I'm so glad you found it and so glad you're liking it. ;w; Hnnng, thank you so much, I'll admit, I'll occasionally watch videos to make sure they're still in character as much as possible. Never played the game, don't own anything to play it on, so it's the best I have. lol And omg, the headache from some of the reading for this, so many terms I don't understand. QwQ So many hours... XD Well, I'm an emotional masochist, so anything that makes me wanna die is the best. I assumed most who read my stories to be the same way. Yesssss, I love these two, and I really wanted to incorporate them into something, and they are so fun to write, especially Cindy. And, you know for a fact they would never make him feel useless with coddling. Also, don't worry, I think the ending I have will be satisfying enough, or at least I hope so.**

* * *

He's been here for a whole week; one week of tedious routine, of falling into a daily pattern of repetition. But, in the midst of all these times, there was one thing he could look forward to. That, of course, being the majority of the day where he actually got to be useful and do something during his recovery. They weren't all glorious jobs, but it was something else to focus on. Plus, being able to witness this line of work up close and personal, Prompto was even able to pick up on a few tricks himself. Being able to do more than just change the oil or change a tire was a thing the blond could now be satisfied about.

There was also the fact that for once, he was actually able to make it to his first physical therapy appointment. And, by 'able to make it', that meant he went willingly and was even the one to bring it up. Getting around was still a task in and of itself, however, it did come easier and more naturally. It was no longer something that was a burden or troublesome. But, things such as going up stairs and bathing were still things that could go a bit more smoothly.

And, through all of this, he was proud to say that he hadn't missed a single dosage of any of his medications. It was something that he had to force himself to get into the habit of, having to tough it out through the nausea and other side effects. Though, once he got through the first few days, he guessed his body grew more accustomed to it. That was something he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. For the time being, it seemed like more of a blessing.

Now, here he was, on the eighth day, sun blaring down as he felt a trickle of sweat run down the back of his neck. He let out an exhausted breath and backed away from the vehicle, smudges of grime decorating his features. Prompto gazed above, taking in the way the day was gradually waning, most of it sneaking by during the hours they spent working. That's how most of the days were, though, flying by while they were too busy to notice.

"I think that does it fer tha day," Cindy announced, wiping her face with the back of her hand like she's done countless times before. And, just like all those others, she did nothing but smear the soot even more.

Looking at the blemish, the blond raised an eyebrow and went to inform her, but stopped himself. "You got a little, actually…" he pulled his bandanna from his arm and reached over to wipe what he could from her right cheek. There was a fraction of a moment where she stood, somewhat stunned. But, she swiftly pulled herself out of it before it got awkward.

"Thank ya," she said, placing her hands on her sides. "That better?"

He shrugged. "Good enough." Letting out another drained sigh, he took that moment to make his way back to the garage in order to lean against it and free up his hands. His hair was an absolute mess, but balancing and keeping it in decent condition was more than a little challenging.

She placed herself next to him and removed her hat, letting her hair out of its confines and used it to fan herself. Already, the songs of the crickets were beginning to sound out, their chirps accentuating just how quiet it was around here this time of day. There wasn't much traffic to begin with, but in the evening, it was practically dead out. The gunner looked up and down the road, and not a single vehicle was in sight.

"Is it always this… peaceful out here?" He questioned, eyes continuing their scan over the landscape. It was probably always like that, but it wasn't until now that he really paid any attention to it.

"It is when things finally calm down. But, it's not always so. We 'ave some days where the business jus' keeps on comin'" she replied, tossing her hat back on. "Well, I think Imma go get a shower, I reckon I look like a right mess right about now."

He scanned her over as she spoke, and to him, it really didn't look that bad. But, it was fair to say that he was more than a little bit biased. "Alright, I'm probably gonna head back," he waved as she stepped a few feet away. "I'll just get cleaned up tomorrow," he added, fighting off a yawn. They bid one another a good night, and he waited just a few more minutes before going back to the camper.

There was no denying that he felt absolutely disgusting, but this thing at least had a sink, so he would do what he could with that. It was mostly his hair and face that was in need of a good scrubbing anyway, the rest he'd take care of in the morning. But, before any of that, there were other matters that required his attention.

Hefting himself up the couple of steps, he went to the table and eased himself into one of the seats where he began to untie the knot in his pants. The sight of it still made him feel uneasy, but he was slowly getting used to it. Not in the sense that he was comfortable about it, but enough where he could handle taking care of it himself. Undoing the knot, he pulled the fabric back to reveal the elastic bandages covering it and carefully started to unwrap those.

Now exposed, he leaned down to look it over and make sure it still appeared to be improving. Which, to his satisfaction, it was. A lot of the initial sharp pain had diminished, and it was mostly the ache and dull throbs that remained. Grimacing, he ran the tips of his fingers over the scarring surface, running them over gently until he got used to the sensation. Then, with caution and tenderness, he slowly started to apply more pressure until he was carefully massaging it; trying to work out some of the tension that claimed it. He found that going in circular motions seemed to work the best for this.

It took a few minutes, but eventually the worst of the soreness was pressed away and he was able to relax more easily. Sighing, he leaned back and grabbed hold of the medicine he'd set aside for convenience. At least he didn't have too much more of this before he would be able to be free of it. With that in mind, he downed his dosage for the evening, re-wrapped his leg and pushed himself back up. Now that he had time to sit there, the grime of that days work was really beginning to make him feel like garbage.

He washed off quickly, rinsed his hair out until the water was running clear again and grabbed the towel off the rack to swiftly dry himself off. Dragging the material off, he dropped it off to the side and leaned against the sink for a moment, his head bowed down as he stared down into the drain. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head back up and stared back at his reflection. His hair still wasn't the cleanest, the stuck-together pieces clung to his forehead and sides of his face. And, he was starting to forget what it felt like to have it styled, it's been so freaking long. In fact, he didn't even think he looked like himself anymore.

Maybe it was a better change, though, but he couldn't say for sure. All he knew, was that it was different and so unlike his old self. He gave himself a small smile, brushing a few strands out of his face and turning away from the mirror. Already, the light within the trailer was waning and the visibility was dropping. Despite this, he didn't bother turning on any lights, he was planning on going to bed anyway, so it didn't matter.

So, he stumbled his way through the dim lighting, using his crutches as a sort of guide to make it to his bed without an incident. Upon reaching it, he slipped under the covers and turned over to his side to face the center of the bed. Just like any other night, he spent at least an hour just lying there, alone to his thoughts for quite some time. They nagged at him and had their rounds until he was finally able to convince them to leave him be. Such as, would things ever be able to get to be how they were before. Or, what kind of life he could even have now. There were still so many things he didn't know, and so many concerns he still had.

As exhausted from the day as he was, it didn't take long after that for the world to start drifting away from him, thankfully ripping him from those thoughts. His eyes felt heavy, which was quite the contrast from his body, which seemed to be getting lighter.

* * *

There were multiple things going on upon waking up, and he couldn't pinpoint which it was that pulled him from his slumber. But, the first thing he was aware of was his phone going off, and from the sheer amount, he could easily tell it wasn't just a message. Any other time, he would have just answered it; this was not one of those times, though. There was another happening that distracted him, someone was in there with him… touching him.

Prompto snapped in an upright position, drawing in a sharp breath out of surprise. "Wha-who's there?" he blurted upon waking up, his eyes instantly locking onto the intruder.

"Nothin', don' mind me," came that familiar Aurum drawl that he could recognize anywhere. He was too dumbfounded to reply… what the hell was she doing in here. Despite what it seemed like, he wasn't complaining about her being there, but… why? "I'll be done in jus' a moment, you can jus' pretend I ain't 'ere," she waved a hand, motioning for him to lie back down.

Blues wide, they shifted around, spotting the tape measure stretched out between her hands. "Uhhhh…" he thought to himself, still in too much shock and too groggy to formulate coherent words. He jerked slightly when he felt something brush over his stump and he drew both his legs in. "What'are you doing?" he spoke quickly, the confusion from having being woken still ever present.

"I said not ta mind me," she repeated, holding the tape before her and humming to herself. He was absolutely stunned. It wasn't unknown unto him that she was a lot more abrasive than he was, but even this seemed a bit odd to her. Truthfully, he didn't know how to react. So, he just stayed still and let her finish up whatever it was she was doing.

Cindy hummed to herself as she worked, completely oblivious to the discomfort of the man. The moment she was done, she hopped up to her feet and left without another word. Not a 'thank you' or a 'later'. Nothing.

"Ok…" he uttered to himself, still staring at the door long after it closed. Before he could put any more thought into it, his phone was going off again, this time it was a simple message. Grabbing it off the table, he quickly checked to see who it was. "Noct," he read aloud, curiosity heightening even more.

Eyebrows drawn together, he opened the message, his heart fluttering with each word he traced on the tip of his tongue. 'Regalia is having some issues, so we'll be dropping by later. Might need to stay for a couple of days.' Slowly, he lowered the phone to rest on the covers draped over his form.

Once the initial shock wore off, his heart plummeted into that of worry and dismay. He knew he had to have appeared atrocious by now. He was used to how he looked, but they hadn't seen him in a week, and he hadn't even brushed his hair before going to bed. Hell, he didn't even wash it properly. If nothing else, he at least wanted to be decently presented. Though, not usually one for caring about such things, this felt oddly different.

Checking the message again, he realized he was never told an estimate, so he shot another message back asking. The reply was almost instant, and he nearly choked on his inhale. 'Just pulling up.' "Shit," he said between clenched teeth, his mind running circles. He threw the covers off instantly and snatched his crutches from against the wall and unsteadily worked his way into the main part of the camper.

Now that he got a good look of the place, it wasn't exactly kept in the best conditions; clothes littered the floor and couch, and it was a miracle he hadn't broken his neck yet in this thing. "Why didn't he tell me yesterday?" he complained to himself, tossing articles of clothing in search of anything remotely untouched, but nearly all of them were tainted with oil and other grime. He groaned as he threw another blackened tank top aside, and he was swiftly getting frustrated. "Come onnnn."

The blond froze as something sounded throughout the building, and his head spun in the direction of the door. "Prom, you in there?" he heard the prince's voice clearly through the metal, and his chest tightened at the sound. It was almost surreal.

"Um… uh, ju-just a moment," he called back, focus back on finding something to change into. But, it was no use, everything he owned seemed to be tainted to some degree. "I guess this'll do," he breathed out, locating his usual outfit. It wasn't much cleaner than the rest, but the dark colors made it a bit harder to spot. The smell however, well, there was nothing that could be done about that.

Tucking that under his arm, he decided he shouldn't keep them waiting any longer and rushed over to open the door. It wasn't locked, but he supposed they didn't just want to barge in uninvited. As it swung open, the both of them stood still, frozen in place, for a few moments.

"What the hell happened to your hair?" the raven asked, breaking the silence for them. "Did you forget what a brush looked like?"

The blond blinked a few times, eyes darting around to spot a few hairs that hung down. "No…" he answered, blowing a few of them out of the way. "I kinda just woke up," he admitted, a bit sheepishly. What time was it anyway? Slowly, his eyes wandered up to look over the prince's shoulder to see the other two a few feet behind; both of them kept their distance.

Not wanting any of them to see the condition of the place, he stepped back and went to close the door back. "Give me just a few minutes and I'll be out," his words tumbled out before he closed them off, a relieved exhale leaving him. This was ridiculous, the way he was getting so worked up over this. He heard a few exchanged mumbles on the other side, but nothing he could make out. First things were first, getting his morning routine out of the way, and then a real shower for once.

Checking the time before anything else, he realized, with borderline panic, that he was about an hour late on taking the antibiotics. The painkillers, he'd be alright with missing one or two, or being late on, but anything else… he wasn't willing to risk anything. With that now out of the way, he could continue on without it weighing on his mind. Everything got done, and he even pushed a lot of his mess to the side, making it look a little bit more tidy, but not by much.

Taking a few more seconds to better compose himself, he inched his way back to the door, hesitation trying to hold him back. "Stop being so stupid," he mumbled to himself, hand reaching to open it. "Alright," he called out to them once he stepped out.

It didn't go unnoticed. The way they still looked at him, it was like they were still walking on eggshells around him, and he hated it. After being here for so long, he got so used to people acting like nothing was wrong, so why couldn't they do that yet? "Everything good?" he asked, mostly for the sake of drawing their attention upwards.

"Yeah," the raven replied, averting his gaze.

Biting his lip, the gunner never expected a week apart to make things feel this awkward or forced… it was strange. "Well, I think I'm gonna take a shower. I didn't really get the chance to take one last night, so," he shrugged casually, smirking as he did so.

"You do that," Noctis nodded, stepping to the side to get out of the way. As Prompto passed by the others, they did the same, neither of them saying anything, but they both wore an expression of compassion almost. He dipped his head to them in greeting though, like them, not saying anything. This isn't how he imagined their reunion to be, but what could he do about it.

"You need any help with that?" the sound of Gladio's voice caught him off guard and he jolted at it.

Pondering the offer for a moment, he pursed his lips and shook his head, "Nah, I think I can handle it… but, thanks." He gave him a small smile to appear a bit more confident and turned back away.

His mind was blank as he made a beeline to the garage, giving Cid a curt and subtle bow on his way by. He made the same trip he's made many times before, going up the stairs with practiced ease and slipped through the door at the top. The one thing that stuck out to him this time was the sounds of metal tapping and clanking together in one of the side rooms; one he hadn't seen yet. He saw Cindy go in there a few times in the days he spent there, but the gentleman in him prevented him from investigating.

He did, though, pause right outside of it at the sound of Cindy humming to herself on the other side, along to some music she had playing on the radio. She was so into whatever she was doing, he wondered if she even noticed he was there. He doubted it; whenever they worked together, she would sometimes forget he was there, despite having asked for the help. Smiling at the innocence of it all, he drifted on by.

With the knowledge of her being so close, he put that much more effort into keeping the noise to a minimum, slinking into the bathroom and carefully pulling the door close behind him with a soft 'click'. For some reason, he felt as though he just pulled off some sort of stealth mission.

Removing all his clothing, he glanced down at himself and chewed the inside of his cheek out of nervousness. He was told that it'd be fine to take a full shower or bath now, so long as he didn't irritate anything. But, he hadn't come remotely close to doing such a thing yet, so he was unsure of whether this was a good thing or not. But, the fact that he hadn't been able to take a real shower in ages made the choice for him. Shaking any doubts he had to the side, he turned the water on and gave it time to warm up before stepping inside. With only a wall to use to keep his balance, to say this was a bit precarious was an understatement.

So far so good though, that is if you count him just standing there as things going well. The sensation of having hot water cascade down him was so worth the wait; he was sure he would never feel this again. But, he knew he couldn't stay in there forever, so it was time to get a move on. Taking his time, and keeping one hand glued to the tiles, he turned around and used the other to grab the bottle of shampoo.

That was the easy part; now he was staring at the container without a clue as to where to go from here. Normally he would need both hands. With the lack of any better ideas, he flicked it open and just squeezed a bit right onto his head. It worked at least, didn't matter how stupid it looked if he was alone.

Using the one hand, he began to massage the suds into his hair, and he could have relished in this for hours if he were able to. With his hair all nice and lathered, next was to rinse it out. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back. And, he didn't know if it was the disorientation from not being able to see or from the change in position, but he could feel his foot lose its ground.

Either from the surprise or the pain that came with it, he didn't know, a tight cry sounded out as he went down… hard. He knew there was no way in hell all the noise went unheard, and he inwardly cringed from the humiliation already. And, he guessed right, not thirty seconds later, he heard someone barge in, not even so much as knocking. He also knew that what he said next was unwarranted for, but it just kind of slipped out.

"Get the hell outta here!" he snapped, trying desperately to get back up, but through his embarrassment and frustration, he wasn't making much progress. He winced at the slight feminine gasp that sounded out.

Cindy ignored the request and went forward with trying to lend a hand. But, as the hand hovered closer, he slapped it away harsher than he had intended to. "I said, get out!" he repeated. "I don't need any help!" He stared up at her for a moment, seeing a flash of hurt through her face, but it was gone just as quickly.

"Alright," she replied, carefully stepping back. "Jus'...holler if ya need anythin'." As she turned to leave, she halted mid-step, pausing before she could run into the brute of a man before her. "S'cuse me," he bowed, lacking her normal cheerful tone.

Immediately sensing something was wrong, Gladio glanced from the shower, then back to the mechanic and placed a firm hold on her shoulder. "What's going on?" he asked, not at all oblivious to the blond's struggles just a few feet away. His eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly figured it out. "Prom?" he asked, grittiness in his voice. "What's going on?"

"It's really nothin'" Cindy raised both hands, trying to calm things down before they could escalate, but the shield was already on top of things. "We should prolly let 'em finish up in 'ere."

He brushed by her anyway, leaning one hand against the wall and facing the shower curtain. The others could be heard behind him, just now making it down the hall. They were all in the garage when they heard it, sound travels pretty clearly when you're surrounded by metal. "You sure you don't need help in there?" he questioned, skeptically.

"I'm fine," he replied, lowly. But, from the side the others were on, it sure didn't look like he had a handle on things.

"Sure looks like it to me," he responded, folding his arms. Ignoring any protests, he pulled the material back anyway, intending to lend a hand, despite what the gunner wanted. "It won't hurt you to ask for help, ya know," he reminded, his patience finally running thin. "Now, stop struggling before you hurt yourself."

Again, the younger man stiffened up, effectively snatching his arm out of the larger man's grasp. His cheeks were a good shade pinker by now. "Just let me do this by myself," he growled, jerking back only to lose what little footing he had regained.

"Dammit, Prompto!" And there it was, his breaking point. "Stop being so damn stubborn and do as you're told for once. If you did that, then you wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!"

 _Silence._

The blond had ceased his futile attempts and just sat there, letting the water continue to run down him. The next voice he heard, however, was Ignis', his precise and light steps standing out against the droning sound of cascading water. "Gladio," he said sharply, grabbing him by the upper arm and guiding him back. "I think it's best we wait outside." The two stared each other down for a few seconds, the shield fighting back a retort. In the end, though, he let out a heated huff and spun on his heel to get out before he said anything else he'd come to regret later.

Noctis, though, stayed where he was, his own dark gaze wide as he listened to the labored breaths of his friend. Ignis had gone after Gladio to make sure he calmed down and stayed away until he had time to cool his head. Cindy still stood just outside the door, her back pressed against the wall. Looking from her to the shower and back, he gave a half smile. "I'll go talk to him," he offered, not waiting for a reply.

He walked slowly, trying not to make too much noise as he approached. Carefully, he lowered himself to the floor just outside the shower and leaned against the outside. "Hey," he greeted, the single word a bit reserved. No reply. "Uh, you okay in there?"

For a minute, he thought he was getting the silent treatment. Then, "Fine." There was a deep and heavy breath, held for a few seconds and then forcefully pushed out. "He's right," he muttered, a thud trailing behind, presumably from his head falling back to rest against the tiles. "He's completely right." He spoke as if it was something he was just now accepting himself.

"No, he's not," Noctis argued. "He's not right. You know as well as any of us how he gets." Yes, they all knew how Gladio could get, but most of the time, there was no denying that he had a good reason for it. And he'd be damned if this wasn't one of those times.

The blond hummed in acknowledgement, but he wasn't putting any real thought into it. "Noct? You, uh, mind giving me a moment to finish up in here?" he asked, silently begging to just be left alone. His plea was understood well enough, and the prince obliged, giving a soft, 'sure' as he pushed himself back up.

Noctis took his time though, on the off chance that he'd be called back. Deep down, he knew he wouldn't, but there was that inkling of hope. Leaving the room, he eased the door shut behind him and found Cindy to still be standing there. "Don't worry about him," he nodded to the door, "he'll be fine." Letting out a heavy sigh, he turned to head after the others.

"I know," he heard behind him. "He managed to keep 'imself together this long, hasn't he? Nothin' more than a bit of a hiccup," she smiled back, a touch of sorrow lining it. "Hey, while you're up 'ere," she quickly walked to get ahead of him and began waving him to follow, "I wanna get yer opinion on something." He perked up at the change of attitude all of a sudden, but he did as she said and followed her down the hall.

Their steps could be heard, faintly, as they faded away until they disappeared altogether. Now that he was certain he was completely alone, Prompto made sure he was composed enough. Using both hands, and with a level head, he worked his way up until he was sitting on the edge of the tub. So, maybe he wasn't quite ready to do things on his own like he thought. He turned the water off and watched as the last of the drops slithered down the drain. 'If you did that, then you wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!' He grit his teeth, his hands balling into fists on his thighs.

Raising one hand to his head, he ruffled them through his hair, tossing droplets in all directions with the motion. "Such an idiot," he whispered, running the scenario over and over again in his head. Remembering specifically the look on Cindy's face after yelling at her like that. She didn't deserve that, she just wanted to help. And he knew that, so why…?

He snatched one of the clean towels off the rack and began a half-assed job of drying himself off. It was only wiped over him once over, and he decided that was good enough; as long as he wasn't leaving puddles everywhere, it would work. Just as swiftly, he tossed his gritty clothes on, ignoring how they clung to the moisture still on him and tied off what needed to be.

The blond only glanced at himself in the mirror, and it was still nothing impressive, but at least there was no more dark stains on him. He then gradually went to the door, unconsciously delaying the moment he'd come across anyone. What was he supposed to say upon seeing any of them? Aside from Noctis, he was sure they all had a few choice words for him now, not that he didn't think he'd earned them.

But, the longer he waited, the worse it would be for all involved. Right, if that were the case, then the first thing that needed to be done was, he had to apologize to Cindy. Out of everyone, she was the last one that should have been talked to like that. He just hoped he'd never have to see her wear that look again, even if for just a moment.

Prompto chewed on his lip for just a second longer as he pieced together just what he'd say to her, thinking up possible outcomes. None of which ended in a way he was fond of. It was no use, he'd just have to go for it. Mind made up, and feigned confidence, he pushed the door open and called out to her. "Cindy!"


	12. New Normal

**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting, istoleyourcheesecake and ****DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Well, this is it, the final chapter. I just wanna say thank you to everyone who stuck with it til the end, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. ;w; I think this is the most effort I've put into a story yet, and wanna say that my betas for this were freaking amazing and it probably wouldn't have turned out half as decent if it weren't for them. Also, the fanart I received for this just made it so much more worth it, so thanks for that as well. TwT**

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 **Bagpipes5K2 : He really is. I do get the feeling he would actually do really well working in a place like that. Even if it's not this one in particular, but anything that lets him work with technology. But nooooo, the world has to fall into ruin and destroy that hope. Ohhh, it's an interesting one indeed, and probably not a subtle one. You know Gladio always does that, the man never thinks before he speaks, and just ends up making things worse by accident. Can't relate to any of the falling stuff, only fell in marching band really, but that's no where near similar. XD Yeah, I think it's time for this one to come to an end, plus a ton of people have dropped off this one, so I feel like quite a few are losing interest anyway. But, the next one, I am hella excited and nervous for.**

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Why was this so difficult? It was so much harder than it needed to be. It was just an apology, nothing more than that; yet here he was, standing motionless outside the bathroom door. He'd barely gotten a step out before he froze up and ran the possible scenarios through his head. Would she be mad at him? He'd understand if she were, but the idea of that being the case bore heavily on him. Readjusting his stance, he eased himself to lean against the wall and take a deep breath. "It's just two words," he reminded himself, "it's not like you're giving a speech or anything."

Prompto closed his eyes and leaned his head back with a soft 'thud.' Nothing sounded more appealing than slithering back into the camper and hiding under the covers for an eternity. Blowing out a heavy breath of air, he pushed himself from his support and began to finally move forward with purpose, wanting to get this over with before he could overthink it even more than he already had.

Gradually, he made it through the hallway, his ears picking up on a couple of voices as he went. And, even though he couldn't make out what they were saying, he could distinguish who they were. Cindy and Noctis, and it sounded as though they were discussing something. As he rounded the corner, he hesitated, realizing the voices were coming from that room Cindy was working in earlier. Despite the fact that Noctis was in there, he still didn't feel right just barging in.

With that in mind, he was so close to turning around right there and leaving it at that; to put it off until later. Having another inner, albeit quicker, debate, he shook the doubt away. It had to be now. Slowly, the blond raised his hand and tapped it against the door a couple of times. The light and timid noise was enough to cause the conversation on the other side to fade out.

"Just a moment," Cindy called back, the sound of her footsteps drawing closer. The door creaked open by about an inch, and part of her face popped into view. Prompto jumped slightly at the sudden greeting. "What can I do ya for?" she asked, keeping the door only partially opened.

The gunner blinked a few times in confusion; why was she being so weird lately? "Uh, I wanted to talk to you about something…" he admitted, trailing off and dropping his gaze. He had guilt etched all over it. "You know, whenever you have time," he added sheepishly when she didn't answer right away. And, deep down, he was starting to think this whole thing was stupid.

"Sure, just need ta finish up a few things in 'ere," she replied. "Jus' give me a few minutes, and I'll be right out," she promised, ducking away and the door was closed right back. Prompto barely had time to react, but he guessed that was it for the time being.

Awkwardly, he waved a hand, not caring that there was no longer anyone there to see it. "Sounds… good," he whispered, sighing as he dropped his hand back down to wrap around the grip.

Glancing around, he noticed that there wasn't anyone else around, and he assumed they must have gone back out. Bearing that in mind, he looked to the door leading out and swallowed thickly. Well, it wouldn't hurt to have a quick chat with the others while he waited; they needed an explanation as much as she did. This just wasn't going to be an enjoyable day, he could see it already. But, he did it to himself.

Reluctantly, he hobbled over and made it outside. The moment he was on the other side, he could hear the others down below talking with Cid. From the sounds of it, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, so maybe that was a good sign. As he descended, he got a few glances from the others, but none of them were able to be read. Getting closer, they still appeared to be having a grand old time.

Surprisingly, it was Cid who spoke first. "I see ya finally got tha dirt off ya; took ya long enough," he laughed.

"Yeah," Prompto replied, letting out an odd chuckle of his own. Blues flicked to the others a couple of times. "Wasn't the most graceful, but I guess it kinda got done." He went a little past the man to stand before the others. "Hey, mind if we… talk for a minute?" he asked, nodding to a spot a few feet away.

Without a word, Gladio walked over first, followed by Ignis who excused himself from the elder first. The blond took his time joining them, still trying to delay this for as long as humanly possible without it being obvious to the others that he was avoiding it. "So…" he started, not looking to either of them. "About what happened," he still didn't know how to say this.

"Don't worry about," Ignis cut in. "Things happen when emotions run high; it's to be expected."

"But, it's not alright," Prompto sighed, gathering up the courage to finally look up at them. They were both watching him intently, one more so than the other. "I should have just accepted the help," he admitted, no matter how much it stung for him to say that. "And… I yelled at Cindy, she was just trying to help, too," his voice slowly faded out, as if throwing it all out there hurt him physically.

"And, I'm sure she'd understand," the adviser went on, still trying to convince the gunner that it really wasn't that big of a deal. But, his emeralds soon cut over to the shield, who has still failed to say a single word this whole time. "Isn't that right, Gladio?" he urged, his tone taking on a persuasive air to it.

In response, the man grunted and unfolded his arms to place his hands on his hips. "Sorry, but I'm not going to sugar coat it like him," he gestured to the adviser. "He might be willing to let it slide, but I'm not; I've been mostly quiet about it this whole time, and it's about time someone was honest with you." Prompto swallowed the lump in his throat at the knowledge of what was coming.

"Look, I can't imagine what you're going through, but what I do know is, it could have easily been prevented. And, I have to give credit where credit is due, you are at least doing things right this time, but you still have a long way to go. By that, I'm referring to your attitude towards it. No one is looking down on you, and no one is treating you like you can't handle things yourself, all of that is on _you._ "

Prompto only stood there, taking it all. He knew this day would come eventually, he just wasn't sure when. "I know," he agreed, not an ounce of bitterness in his tone. "I shouldn't have lashed out like that… I don't know why I did. But, in that moment… I guess I just didn't know what to do," he shrugged. For a moment after that, things were quiet, then,

"You were humiliated," Gladio filled in the blank. "You lashed out, because you felt like a cornered animal." His voice was softer, showing a more understanding side now. "No one blames you for acting that way, but that still doesn't mean we're gonna let it slide."

Next to him, Ignis' own features relaxed as what he expected to turn into an argument simmered down. "Couldn't have, uh, said it better myself," he commented, dipping his head towards the man in a sort of bow. "Anything else you wish to discuss while we're over here?" he asked, giving him the chance while they were alone. There was no telling when they'd be left to themselves again.

He thought about it for a minute. And, yeah, there were plenty of things he could talk about, wanted to, but now didn't seem like the right time for those things. So, he just shook his head. "Mmm mm," he responded, giving the both of them a tight smile.

"Don't dwell on it too much," Gladio added in passing, laying his hand on his shoulder for a second and letting it slide off. Ignis only gave him a small nod, one that portrayed the situation wasn't as bad as he was building it up to be in his head. Prompto stood motionless for a few seconds, either from relief or shock. He expected some words to be exchanged, but not in that manner. He expected them to sting a bit more than that. But, there was none of that; if anything that short talk helped most of the ache to ebb away.

The blond took a deep breath and slowly pushed it back out. "Alright," he whispered, finally turning around to head back. All that was left now was to wait until Cindy was done and out so he could apologize to her next. Which was still going to be so much harder than it had been with the others. Hopefully though, with the success of that one, the next would come a little bit easier. Maybe all he needed was to get the ball rolling.

His confidence had been somewhat fortified, and he was positive he could do this, almost completely certain. In his mind, he had this in the bag, but, when he saw the both of them descend the stairs, all his courage shattered into a million microscopic shards. And, he froze, mid step, knowing he must have looked like a total fool as they spotted him and began to head over. All he had time to do was shuffle awkwardly in place and glance around nervously. When they were about halfway to him, Noctis broke away, clearly trying to give the two of them their privacy. He really wished they would have taken a bit more time parting ways, at least long enough for him to formulate some sort of plan.

"What is ya wanted?" she asked, talking as if nothing had ever happened. It was so casual, and he wasn't sure why, but that made this ten times more difficult.

His mouth fell open, and it was almost like that week spent here never happened. Crumbling back down into the flustered gunner he was, he uttered a few syllables, none of which made an inkling of sense. Still, she waited patiently, in no way trying to rush him. And, dammit, why was she like this?

"Uh, right, I guess I just wanted to say that…. I'm…" He paused, clearing his throat and shuffling again. "About what happened up there-"

She seemed to perk up at the mention of that. "Oh!" she exclaimed, cutting him off unintentionally. "I wanted ta bring that up as well." He stiffened, the lump in his throw growing until he struggled for breath. She was mad, wasn't she? Who was he kidding, of course she was, she had every reason to be. "I think I have somethin' that'll 'elp with that sorta thing. That is, if yer willin' to try it out," she offered hopefully. Though, he was dumbfounded, why wasn't she talking about him yelling at her?

"Sure," he replied, utterly and completely confused now. "What did you have in mind?"

In reply, she spun on the spot and started to stroll back, a slight bounce in her step that could only be described as pure excitement. "Just follow me and I'll show ya," Cindy waved him along eagerly. It was almost like a child wanting to show something they were proud of to a parent. He was a little reluctant in doing so, but he trailed after her, his guilt and shame momentarily forgotten in his curiosity.

Once they reached the bottom of the stares, she stopped, stepping on the first step and positioning herself to block him off entirely. "Ok, now jus' sit in that there chair an' I'll be right back." She bounded up the stairs and looked over her shoulder when she reached the top, "And, keep yer eyes closed, and don' open 'em no matter what." That was a clear and obvious order with a slight warning underlining it. It was a tone he hadn't heard from her before and it honestly intimidated him slightly.

Prompto lowered himself down and did exactly as she said, eyes closed as he awaited her return ever so patiently. The entire time he sat there, a fluttering sensation overtook his entire being. His foot tapped anxiously and he could feel the slow journey of a bead of sweat down the back of his neck. Hands gripping the fabric of his pants and his teeth played with his bottom lip as what felt like an hour dragged by. The blond was jostled out of his nervous tendencies when the sound of the door creaking open caused him to gulp involuntarily. It was immediately followed by her steps echoing off the metal steps until they at last reached to bottom to stop in front of him.

"Now remember, don' move, an' don' open yer eyes seeing as you can 'elp it," she repeated, reinforcing that it was important.

He gave a nod backed by an 'Mmm hmm,' and squeezed his eyes shut tighter to help resist the urge to peek. Surprisingly, he felt an odd tug on the knot of his pants, and he could feel himself visibly tense at the feeling. Slowly, the fabric was rolled up until he could make out a light breeze on the parts that weren't covered. "What're you-?" he went to ask, voice shaking slightly.

"Don't worry, this won't take too long," she promised as he felt something rather cold come into contact. He couldn't suppress the shudder and jerk that it resulted in. "Sorry," she mumbled, but it was clear she was too engrossed in what she was doing to really mean it.

"It's fine," Prompto replied through clenched teeth. Not only was it cold, but now it was a little constricting, but not in a painful way. More like in a strange and foreign way. He could easily feel the weight of something around his thigh as a few clicks sounded out. Breath hitching when the last one tightened it even more, his hands found one another to clasp together.

For a second, there was nothing, silent until Cindy spoke up again. "Alright, open 'em up," she nearly demanded, her enthusiasm near contagious.

He was almost scared to, from all that he was feeling, a few ideas ran through his head as to what exactly she did. But, if the way it felt was any indication… Slowly, he cracked a single eye open, and he could have sworn his heart beat for the last time. "Wha…?" He couldn't formulate words, or even coherent thoughts as his left hand brushed the edge of metal. "Why… what is this?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"Go on, give it a go," she waved both hands in a rising motion, stepping back to give him the room necessary.

Prompto looked around, and he didn't realize it with how much he had been concentrating on her work, but everyone was standing around, waiting with patience for him to make his move. It was a little awkward with everyone's eyes on him, but he swallowed his apprehension and, using the chair as support, got into a standing position. All of his weight was on his right leg, but it was a good enough of a start. Once more, he looked to the others, all of which seemed eager for him to get a move on.

"Well, here goes nothin'," he breathed out and began to slowly transfer some of the weight over. Instantly, the prosthetic wanted to buckle, the pressure on his stump something he was definitely going to need some getting used to.

"Take yer time," Cindy said from the side, stepping a little closer should she need to assist him in any way. But, for the most part, she kept her distance, giving him a chance to figure this out himself.

He nodded and took a moment to gather himself. His nerves were acting up and he felt slightly light-headed. "I got this," he told himself, taking a risk and releasing his hold on the chair, only to instantly stumble forward. He had time to see a few hands flying towards him, but he managed to re-balance himself and hold up both of his to stop them in there tracks. "I'm fine," he assured, slowly straightening back up.

The blond shook both his hands in anticipation and, for the first time, raised his focus off the metallic limb and looked forward. Maybe if he didn't look at it, and didn't think about it, then it'd be like it wasn't there. Just, pretend like it was a normal leg, that's all he had to do. Easier said than done though, and the fact that he couldn't feel anything with it didn't help matters any. Instead of a step, he slid it forward, only getting it a few inches before trying to apply weight to it again. So far, the only thing that bothered him was the way it pressed on his thigh. It wasn't painful, but it felt so out of place, like it didn't belong.

"I'm sure with some practice, you'll be walkin' around like it's nothin' again," The blonde woman sounded so sure of that as she took a step back and folded he arms over her chest. Looking over at her, Prompto could plainly see the delight in her features, and he had to avert his gaze to keep from embarrassing himself.

"I might need to, uh, take this a bit slower," he admitted, even though it was a blow to his pride. He grabbed only one of the crutches that were propped up, and decided to use that for the time being. At least until he got more used to things. That made things much better; with that, he was able to take a few steps without much issue. And, after taking a few more experimental ones, he hobbled back over to stand near the mechanic. "W-When did you do this?" he asked, his surprise wearing off enough for his curiosity to resurface.

She thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out the exact moment she started on it. "Well, I reckon it was some time towards the start of tha week. Probably tha first night you were 'ere. I figured it would 'elp, and well, it was somethin' I've never tried to make before, but I've always wanted to give it a shot. But, ya'know, I didn't have anyone ta test one out," she replied, full of honesty.

"That explains the tape measure," he uttered under his breath, the awkwardness of that situation making a lot more sense now. He looked back down at the appendage, and he just now realized how much it matched with his real one, and when he walked around on it, there wasn't much a difference in terms of length. "How…" he was at a loss.

She just shook her head, "Now, now, don't think nothin' of it. It workin' like it is is more than enough. As long as yer fine with me tweakin' it here from time ta time, then that'll be good enough for me."

"I-I don't know how to repay you," he stuttered. "I mean, this couldn't have been easy, and you didn't have to-"

She raised a hand to stop him from rambling on. "Like I said, it was somethin' I've been wantin' to test my hand at. Jus' consider it yer payment fer helpin' out around tha shop," she brushed off, urging him to leave it at that.

Thankfully, he seemed to accept that, for now. But, he didn't care what she said, eventually he'd figure something out to thank her for this. Standing there, he gave it a few test swings, and it seemed to respond well. "That's jus' a prototype," Cindy piped up again. "But, I figure it'll do fer tha time bein'. Oh, and you know how I said I wanted to talk about what happened up there?" she nodded towards the stairs and Prompto reddened. He wanted to discuss that, but not here in front of everyone. "Well, that won't be a problem anymore, I made sure it was waterproof. Meanin' it can be worn in tha shower," she dropped her hand on his shoulder with a satisfied smile.

"Really?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Uh huh, so, should be a lot easier now. But, I'd still recommend drying it thoroughly, it still has the possibility of rusting," she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Not much I can do about that though."

He didn't care, this was still so impressive to him; making this thing in a week, and having it withstand water at the same time, she was freaking amazing. "This is incredible," he mouthed, but the compliment was caught, and her smile seemed to widen just a little bit more. Then, his heart picked up its pace at a thought. "Wait, so, would I be able to move around normally again?" he asked hopefully, looking to her with an expectant gaze.

She never missed a beat, "You betcha. Like I said, given enough practice on that, and you'll be movin' around like a pro." The others could already tell where he was going with this, the gears in his head were nearly palpable and they all tensed slightly at what they knew was coming next.

"So, would it be possible for me to, you know, go back to traveling?" his voice went up a few octaves. He was already convinced that it was now possible, but he didn't want to jump the gun on this. There was still the sliver of doubt the kept him from getting to prepared to pack his things. But, as soon as the question left, he immediately added, "Not that I hadn't enjoyed it here, it's the opposite, really. But…"

"There's no need to apologize. This was supposed to be a temporary fix," she replied, taking no offence to his eagerness to leave. "That's not up to me though," she reminded, cutting her eyes to the other three.

Prompto followed her gaze and looked to them, trying to read their faces. It was a mix between the three of them; he could see that it was something they longed for as well, but like him, there was that small percentage that wasn't sure how much of a good idea that was. "I wouldn't have a problem with it," Ignis started, "but, there would be a few things you'd have to be wary of…"

"What do you mean?" the blond asked, eyes flickering from one to the other.

"Prom, this is your first time being able to walk on two legs in over a month," Gladio jumped in. "It's gonna take more than a few steps before you're back up to speed, and I'm not sure if jumping back into the fray of things immediately is such a good idea." Someone had to say it, and it didn't seem like the others were stepping up to the plate, so it had to be him.

The adviser inwardly flinched at the way his enlightened expression faltered, dropping back into that of disappointment. "I feel the same way… however," Prompto looked back up, a sparkle of pleading back in his blues, "I think it's safe to assume that we'd all like to have you back with us. That being said, I won't be having you carry out your usual antics for a while. That means taking it easy and continuing to take things slow. Do you understand?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

Prompto was speechless for a moment. As much as he had wanted this, he didn't quite expect them to be okay with it, and he wondered if this was real for a second. "Wait, did I hear that right?" he breathed out, quietly. "I-I can go with you guys?" He still couldn't believe it. "When can I go?"

"As soon as we leave," Noctis replied, hands on his hips as he turned to head towards the camper. "Now come on, we have things to pack up, don't we?" He watched as the other two went after him, but he was still a bit taken aback. Taking one step, he stopped himself to face Cindy again.

"Right, I wanted to say one more thing," he shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry, about yelling at you up there. It wasn't ok, and I shouldn't have, but I did, and I'm so sorry," he threw it all out there, her face never changing as he went on. "Oh, and one more thing, other than that," his words were a mess, and he knew it. Without warning, he tucked his crutch under his arm to free it up and wrapped both around her. "Thank you."

Now, completely flustered, he released his hold and went after the others as quickly as he dared without looking back. As he shuffled away, he could hear a soft chuckle coming from behind him. "By tha time you fellas get everything together, I should have the ol' girl runnin' like new again," she called after him, grinning at the single wave she got.

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Prompto now sat on the couch, catching his breath after hauling what he could to the trunk; the others were still at it, taking the heavier things. It wasn't a whole lot, but still more than he could manage alone. Of course, once he grew more accustomed to his new leg, things like this would come easy again.

"Ok, everything's ready to go," Noctis announced, stopping in the doorway. The blond didn't move immediately, he just looked around the place for a few seconds more. As ready as he was to get out of here, he was still going to miss it at least a little bit. This was home for a week, in a weird and unofficial way. "You coming?" he asked after another minute.

"Oh, yeah," Prompto unsteadily got to his feet, the weight of the metal leg feeling a tad heavier than the other and throwing him off slightly. But, he was ready for it and balanced himself out. "That's gonna get some getting used to," he bitterly laughed.

The prince gave a soft smile and stepped back out so he could get through. "Yeah, but it shouldn't take too long, as long as you don't slack off," he teased.

"Please, I could probably still beat you in a race," he joked, stumbling as he went down the stairs which only made his statement more incredulous. "As long as it was on flat ground," he shrugged.

Together, the two of them worked their way to the car, the sun now lowering in the sky as it glared off the pristine black paint. The sight of it eased whatever pain remained in the gunner's chest. "Wow," he whispered, running a hand over the hood, "Looks almost brand new." He looked over to Cindy who wore the proudest look on her face.

"Figured I may as well clean 'er up while I was at it. She was in a bit of need of some care."

"We appreciate it," Ignis dipped his head in her direction and fiddled in his pocket to fish out the required payment. But, she tried to deny it, again saying that as long as they'll let her tinker with a few things here and there, then it would be considered payed for. It took a bit of convincing, but the adviser had no choice but to accept; he swore she was just as stubborn as the other guys were about things. "If you're sure," he sighed, stuffing his wallet back in his pocket.

Him and Gladio were the first to climb back in, the others stood by their respective doors for a few seconds more. They decided not to rush them, this was a lot to take in, and all a bit sudden, especially for Prompto. Said person was staring back at the shop, looking it all back over and his gaze locked onto something else as he was approached.

"You fellas take care now, ya'hear?" Cindy said, standing a few feet away. "And take care of that leg there. She's a sturdy one, but she's not invincible, so don't get too carried away. If anythin' happens to the girl, jus' bring 'er by and I'll fix 'er up," she smiled, giving a wave.

The blond nodded, giving a small wave of his own and slipping into the passenger side. He never thought leather could feel this nice, but here he was, relishing in the texture of it and sinking down. He gave the woman one last look before finally closing the door. With that, Ignis started it up and pulled out.

"So, did you finally confess?" Gladio asked from the back. He hadn't even been back for five minutes…

Prompto groaned loudly and sank even further down, "Really? I'm finally back and that's what you want to ask me?" He turned and peered over the back of his seat to find two ambers staring back, waiting for an answer to his question. "No," he finally replied, whipping his head back forward, "I didn't say a thing."

"You had a week and still couldn't grow the balls," he sighed, jabbing the raven with his elbow to get a small laugh out of him.

Rolling his eyes, Prompto rested his head against the window. "Sure is good to be back," he breathed out, but no matter how annoyed he wanted to sound, he couldn't wipe the look of bliss off his face. Leaning heavily against the door, and letting the two of them have their fun with the jokes, he stared into the mirror, watching the view of the shop until it eventually disappeared in the distance.

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 **Pretty sure almost everyone saw the prosthetic coming form a mile away, but I hope it was still satisfying anyway. XD So, the next chapter story I have planned will be way different than my normal. I will be doing a pairing story for the first time. (I'm not counting the little one-shot I did for fun) So. just a warning if you're not into that sort of thing.**


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